Pumpkin Maple Sugar Sourdough Bread

Name: Pumpkin Maple Sugar Sourdough Bread
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 80 min
Cuisine: American, Artisan
Ingredients: Bread flour (350 g); Whole wheat flour (100 g); Pumpkin purée (100 g); Active sourdough starter (80 g; 100% hydration); Maple sugar (25–30 g); Water (240 g total); Salt (9 g); Pumpkin seeds (30 g for topping); Cinnamon (½ tsp; optional); Nutmeg (pinch

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October 12, 2025

6-8 hours

medium

1 artisan loaf

Afterglow Sourdough Bread

🍁 Golden Crust, Cozy Heart, This Pumpkin Maple Sugar Sourdough Bread Feels Like Fall

This Pumpkin Maple Sugar Sourdough Bread is golden, soft, and cozy with gentle sweetness and warm spice in every slice. ✨

This Pumpkin Maple Sugar Sourdough Bread is everything you love about fall baked into one glowing loaf. The pumpkin purée keeps the crumb tender and golden while the maple sugar adds gentle sweetness that caramelizes beautifully in the crust. Every slice feels soft and cozy and perfectly balanced between comfort and craft.

When you pull this loaf from the oven, the kitchen fills with a warm, toasty aroma that feels like a hug in bread form. The crust crackles, the crumb shines with a soft orange glow, and suddenly, you are not just baking bread, you are capturing the essence of autumn 🍂✨

Serve it warm with a generous swipe of maple nutmeg butter, or let it cool and display it proudly on your table because it is that beautiful. Whether you call it breakfast art or the start of your next baking obsession, one thing is certain: it will not last long once you slice it.

💛 Why You’ll Love This Rustic Loaf

🎃 Pumpkin Purée – Gives the crumb its golden color and soft, moist texture.
🍁 Maple Sugar – Adds cozy sweetness and a gentle caramel flavor that tastes like fall.
🌰 Warm Spices – A hint of cinnamon and nutmeg bring comforting autumn depth.

🧈 Baker’s Note & Fun Variations

From my mixing bowl to yours, this is where I always end up smiling. The kitchen smells like caramel and spice, the bread is cooling on the rack, and somehow, there is flour all over my floor again. Every loaf tells its own story, and this one just happens to taste like fall.

🍯 Maple Butter Magic – Whip softened butter with maple sugar, a pinch of nutmeg, and a tiny swirl of molasses. Spread it thick while the bread is still warm and let it melt right in.

🌰 Nutty Moment – Chop a few pecans or walnuts and sprinkle them on top before baking. They toast in the oven and give each bite that perfect buttery crunch.

🍫 Sweet Surprise – Feeling extra cozy. Add a handful of dark chocolate chips during the last fold. Pumpkin and chocolate are secretly best friends.

🌿 Morning Toast Dream – Toast a slice, slather on salted butter, and finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. It is the kind of breakfast that makes the whole day better.

🎃 Pumpkin Mood Shift – Want a deeper color and flavor? Mix in a spoon of molasses or an extra scoop of pumpkin purée next time. It brings that cozy glow of fall straight into your kitchen.

Looking for more comforting, flavor-packed meals? Check out our [other recipes here]!

🛒 Shop My Kitchen Favorites!

Love the tools and ingredients used in this recipe? I’ve gathered my favorite must-haves to make cooking easier and more enjoyable. [Click here] to check out my Amazon store for everything I used!

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Ingredients

Adjust Servings

	80g active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
	100g Pumpkin puree
	25-30 g maple sugar
	240 g water divided (210 g for autolyse, 30 g reserved)
	350 g bread flour
	100 g whole wheat flour
	9 g salt
	½ tsp cinnamon
	pinch nutmeg

Pumpkin Seeds for topping

30g pumpkin seeds

Nutritional Information

175 Calories

32g Carbs

5g Protein

3g Fat

2g Fiber

2g Sugar

Directions

Mix Starter, Pumpkin, Maple Sugar, and Water

In a large bowl whisk together active starter, pumpkin purée, maple sugar, and 210 g of water until smooth. Add the flours and mix until the dough looks shaggy. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

Mark as complete

Add Salt and Remaining Water

Dissolve salt in 30 g of water. Pour over the dough and gently squeeze or fold until fully combined. Add 5–10 g more water only if the dough feels stiff.

Mark as complete

Bulk Fermentation

Let the dough rise for about 3 hours at 75°F. Perform 3–4 sets of stretch and folds every 30–45 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and airy.

Mark as complete

Pre-shape and Shape

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pre-shape into a round, rest 20 minutes, then shape into a tight boule. Place seam-side up in a floured banneton.

Mark as complete

Pumpkin Seed Crust and Cold Proof

Lightly spritz the surface with water and roll in pumpkin seeds. Cover and refrigerate for 8–14 hours.

Mark as complete

Bake

Preheat the Dutch oven to 475°F for 30–45 minutes. Flip dough seam-side down onto parchment, score, and bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover, lower the temperature to 450°F, and bake 20–25 minutes until golden and caramelized.

Mark as complete

Cool

Let the bread cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Mark as complete

Make Cinnamon Nutmeg Maple Butter

While the bread cools, beat softened butter with maple sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until light and fluffy.

Slice of Pumpkin Maple Sugar Sourdough Bread beside a bowl of creamy maple nutmeg butter on a rustic wood surface with cinnamon sticks

Mark as complete

Slice & Enjoy

Slice the loaf and enjoy with your choice of butter spread. Smother it on thick — no one’s looking. 😉

Slice of Pumpkin Maple Sugar Sourdough Bread spread with creamy maple butter in a heart shape, surrounded by soft golden crumb

Baker’s Note: This bread makes the best toast the next morning… if there’s any left.

Mark as complete

Notes

This rustic loaf isn’t just bread, it’s a centerpiece. Slice it up, set it on the table, and watch how quickly family and friends gather for “just one more piece.”