Bake up a batch of this Sourdough Pumpkin Bread and your kitchen will smell heavenly this fall! This easy quick bread recipe would be a welcome addition to your Christmas or Thanksgiving table.
Whether you’re trying to figure out what on earth to do with your excess sourdough discard, or you just want to bake something utterly delicious, this Sourdough Pumpkin Bread is just the recipe for you!
And you’ve got options: you can use either sourdough discard or active starter. You can make it extra fancy with a streusel topping and cream cheese frosting, or keep it simple!
Either way it’s scrumptious.
Okay, let me show you how to make my EASY Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread!
Video Tutorial:
Here’s a quick video overview to help you get a feeling for how this recipe comes together. The full written tutorial and printable recipe are below!
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes:
Let’s quickly go over the simple ingredients you’ll need for the pumpkin batter:
- Sourdough Starter: You can use either sourdough starter discard or an active sourdough starter here since it’s a quick bread. You don’t want to use really old, really sour discard, though.
- Salted Butter: I love the flavor that butter lends to baked goods, so I included it here.
- Neutral Oil: However, an oil helps to keep the bread soft after it cools down. Please use an oil that’s liquid at room temperature such as avocado oil or olive oil, NOT coconut oil or palm oil. I personally don’t use vegetable oil, but I’m sure it would work here.
- Brown Sugar: I like the caramel flavor from brown sugar. You can use either light or dark brown sugar.
- Maple Syrup: This adds some extra moisture to the batter and lends it a lovely flavor.
- Eggs: I like to use pasture raised and/or organic eggs when possible, but any large eggs will work.
- Canned Pumpkin Purée: Please make sure to use pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling! You can also use my Homemade Pumpkin Puree so enhance the pumpkin flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: Don’t use imitation vanilla flavoring here unless you truly prefer the flavor.
- All Purpose Flour, Salt, Baking Powder, Baking Soda: The usual dry ingredients!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You gotta add those lovely, warm spices to this loaf! And you can either use a pre-made pumpkin pie seasoning mix, or my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Substitute.
Preparing the Pan:
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 Celsius).
Butter an 8×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
Making the Streusel Topping (Optional):
If you opt to make the streusel topping, you’ll want to make that first so it has time to chill.
Mix together brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl.
Add 1/4 of salted melted butter and mix with a fork until well combined and it clumps together.
Pop the bowl into the refrigerator while you work on the rest of the recipe.
Mixing the Batter:
Measure the wet ingredients into a large measuring cup. I like to weigh the sourdough starter on my kitchen scale since it’s difficult to clean off of a measuring cup. Whisk until everything is well combined.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl.
Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl as you mix.
DO NOT OVER MIX!
Baking and Cooling:
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top.
Sprinkle the chilled streusel topping evenly over the top of the batter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center of the loaf comes out clean.
It’s okay if there are a few moist crumbs, but you don’t want any wet batter!!
If the streusel starts to brown too much before the loaf is done baking, you can place a tent of aluminum foil on top.
Allow to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then allow to cool completely, or for about 1 hour.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
If you decide to include the cream cheese frosting, now is the time to make it!
Place the cream cheese and maple syrup in a medium bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until completely smooth.
Add the powdered sugar and beat again until smooth.
You can add a bit of cream or milk if the frosting is too thick.
Drizzle the frosting all over the top of the cooled loaf.
Serving:
This bread is so soft and moist that you can serve it as-is!
Or you can spread it with butter for an extra-rich treat.
If you have extra frosting, you can spread it on the slices of bread.
You could serve slices of this with Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes and your pumpkin loving guests will die of happiness.
Storing:
If you opt to leave off the frosting, you can store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. After that, it’s best store it in the refrigerator.
If you drizzle the frosting on top of the bread, you’ll want to go ahead and store it in the refrigerator right away. It should keep for up to 5 days if you wrap it well.
Quick tip: Place the piece of parchment paper that you used to line the pan on top of the frosting to prevent it from transferring to the storage container. You could also use a bit of plastic wrap.
More Sourdough Recipes:
More Pumpkin Recipes:
Sourdough Pumpkin Bread Recipe
This delicious quick bread is made with sourdough discard and pumpkin puree.
Ingredients
For the Streusel (Optional)
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
For the Batter:
- 1/2 cup (110 grams) sourdough starter (see note)
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/4 cup neutral flavored oil (see note)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
For the Cream Cheese Frosting (Optional)
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- Cream to thin, if needed
Instructions
For the Streusel:
- In a small bowl, mix the sugar, flour, and cinnamon until well combined. Add the butter and stir until it clumps together. Chill while you make the batter.
For the Batter:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 Celsius). Butter an 8x5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sourdough starter, butter, oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- In a separate, large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and pumpkin spice. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together just until combined. Don't over-mix!
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth out the top and sprinkle the streusel on top if using. Bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. If the streusel starts to brown too much before the loaf is done baking, you can put a tent of aluminum foil on top.
- When the loaf is done baking, allow to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Allow to cool completely on the wire rack before slicing.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the maple syrup and beat again until smooth. Sift the powdered sugar over the mixutre and add the vanilla extract. Beat until completely smooth.
- You can add a bit of cream or milk to thin out the batter if needed. You want it to be thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough that it won't run right off of the loaf.
- Drizzle all over the loaf. If you have extra frosting, you can spread it on individual slices of bread!
Storing:
- If you opt to leave off the frosting, you can store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. After that, it's best store it in the refrigerator.
- If you drizzle the frosting on top of the bread, you'll want to go ahead and store it in the refrigerator right away. It should keep for up to 5 days if you wrap it well.
- Quick tip: Place the piece of parchment paper that you used to line the pan on top of the frosting to prevent it from transferring to the storage container. You could also use a bit of plastic wrap.
Notes
- Sourdough Starter: You can use either sourdough discard or an active starter.
- Oil: Use an oil that's liquid at room temperature such as avocado oil.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 438Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 518mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 2gSugar: 30gProtein: 6g