Ready to bake something festive and delicious? This sourdough pumpkin bread is the perfect autumn treat!

Sourdough Pumpkin

Serving: Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 175g unbleached bread flour
• 250g unbleached all-purpose flour
• 50g whole wheat stone-ground flour
• 10g sea salt
• 330g warm water
• 90g active sourdough starter
• Cinnamon, sugar, and pumpkin spice

Directions:

1. Combine in a large bowl: bread flour, all-purpose flour, stone-ground flour, salt, water, and active starter. Mix all by hand. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 15 minutes in a warm place (I use my oven with just the light on).
2. Perform 3 total stretch and folds. The first two 15 minutes apart and the last one 30 minutes after the previous one. Let the dough rest, covered with a damp cloth, in a warm place for 5 hours. (Bulk fermentation)
3. When the dough has completed the bulk ferment, take it out and place it on a lightly floured workspace. Gently flatten your dough out, spreading its edges. Generously dust with your cinnamon, sugar, and pumpkin spice seasoning edge to edge. Fold one side, repeat dusting. Fold other side, repeat dusting. Now, roll up your dough tightly and shape dough to create more tension. Dust once more on top. Invert the dough into a banneton and allow dough to cold-proof overnight in the fridge (or for 14 hours), covered with a cloth.
4. Preheat oven and Dutch oven to 500°F.
5. Tying: Cut 4 pieces of string about 15” each, dip them in olive oil so they do not burn in the oven! Lay them on your work surface as seen in the video and dump your dough directly into the center of the strings. One by one, tie up your pumpkin like the beautiful pumpkin she is. Clip the extra string and dust the top with more cinnamon, sugar, and pumpkin spice.
6. Use a bread lame to make any desired cuts, then place in the hot Dutch oven.
7. Bake with the lid on for 20 minutes at 500°F. Bake with the lid off for 20 minutes uncovered at 500°F.
8. Admire your pumpkin bread and top her with a cinnamon stick to complete the look. Enjoy!