This gorgeous pumpkin sourdough bread is easy to make and perfect for using up leftover pumpkin puree. It's soft, aerated, naturally orange, full of classic sourdough flavour and the pumpkin is perfectly complemented by a dash of spice.
Pop your 50g (1.8oz) mature sourdough starter in a bowl or jar.
Add the white flour and water. Mix well and cover.
Leave to ferment for about 8 hours until bubbly and doubled in size. It is now ready to use.
Alternatively, if you already have a routine of feeding your sourdough starter daily at a particular time, then you can just use 150g of your own blend at its peak rise (usually 6-8 hours after feeding).
Make your dough
Measure the flour, sugar, salt, mixed spice and turmeric into a bowl. Mix together and set aside.
In a second large bowl, mix the sourdough starter you made earlier (all 150g/5.3oz) with the pumpkin puree and 2/3 of your warm water. Whisk together.
Add the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Mix to form a dough.
If there is still a lot dry flour in the bottom of the bowl, add more water, a drizzle at a time, to help pick them up. You may not need all the water.
Scrape down any dry bits from the sides of the bowl, cover and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
You will now start the kneading process, which involves the following steps. First, press the dough down with your fingers into the base of the bowl.
Pick up a side of the dough lift it up and to the middle, then press down to hold in place. Early in the kneading process, the dough will feel wet and rough, but it smooth as you go.
Rotate 90 degrees and do this again keep going until you’ve folded 10 times. Flip the dough over so that the folds are underneath. Push a wet finger into the centre of the dough to remind you you've done one turn.
Now repeat the process three more times: rest for 10 minutes, press down, fold 10 times, flip, and mark with a wet finger.
On the fourth and final turn, cover and rest your dough for approx 3-4 hours or until doubled in size.
Shape and prove
Lift or tip the dough out onto a clean surface. If it's very sticky, sprinkle a tiny bit of flour, but keep it to a minimum.
Press gently all over to flatten and release the larger air bubbles. Sweep away any flour now as you don’t want to tuck it into your dough.
Form the dough into a loose ball by tucking over a few times.
Flip and cover with an upturned bowl and leave to rest for 5 minutes. The dough doesn't need to be perfect at this stage, it's just a rough shape.
Now for the final shape. Gently press your dough out again.
This time fold two sides to the centre.
Now start rolling the dough down towards yourself (90 degrees from the previous folds). Press the edge of the dough down with your fingertips as you roll to keep it tight. Keep rolling until you have a sausage. This process creates tension on top of the loaf, which is what we want for a good rise and shape.
Sprinkle flour all over the top of your loaf, then place it seam side up into a floured proving basket. Pinch the seam again to seal really well.
Cover and leave to prove for approx 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
Bake
Once risen, place a large roasting tray in the bottom of your oven and preheat it to 260C (240C fan).
Turn your loaf onto a baking sheet and gently sweep away any excess flour with a soft brush.
Slash the top with a very sharp knife in a single motion - don’t saw at the bread as it will deflate.
Place the loaf into the centre of the oven, pour a cup of water into the hot tray at the bottom of the oven. Close the door and lower the temperature to 240C (220C fan).
Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and hollow sounding when the base is tapped.
Lift your loaf onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely (at least two hours) before slicing. Slicing while hot could result in a hard crust and gummy inner.
Video
Notes
If you like, you can use brown sugar in place of superfine for a slightly more caramel flavour.