Pumpkin Sourdough Bread

PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH

Printable Recipe

All rights reserved worldwide – Teresa L Greenway

Pumpkin Sourdough uses pie pumpkin or Winter squash. This recipe makes 4 lbs 3.7 oz of dough, enough for two nice sized loaves.The dough is at 70.1% hydration, it is sticky and difficult to work with but the taste is terrific.

For the Pre-ferment: In the late afternoon around 4:00 – 5:00 pm, to a large covered   container add: 

• 1 cup ripe, vigorous starter at 166 % hydration – 9 oz
• 1 ½ cups water – 12 oz
• 3 cups bread flour – 13.5 oz

Preferment	Volume	Standard	Metric	Bakers %
Sourdough Starter 166% hydration	1 cup	9 oz	255 g	53.3 %
Water	1 ½  cups	12 oz	340 g	71.1 %
Bread Flour	3 cups	13.5 oz	382 g	80.0 %
Total Weight	2 lb 2.5 oz	2 lb 2.5 oz	978 g	204.3%
Hydration	1 lb 1.6 oz	1 lb 1.6 oz	499 g	104.3 %

Cover lightly with a lid and allow mixture to ferment at room temperature until around 9:00 – 10:00 pm. Then put the preferment into the refrigerator overnight.

Next morning around 7:00 am:

• Put ¾ cup – 6.3 oz of Pumpkin or Squash into a blender with 1/2 cup – 4 oz of evaporated milk and blend the squash until smooth.

Now add the pumpkin milk mixture to your dough mixer and also add:

• 2 Tablespoon Oil – 1 oz
• 1 heaping Tablespoon malt syrup or honey – 1 oz
• 4 ½ cups Bread flour – 20.2 oz bread flour- you can use part all purpose flour
• 3 ½ teaspoons salt (add after autolyse) – .7 oz 

As an alternate:

• Instead of 1 heaping Tablespoon- use 2 heaping Tablespoons of non Diastatic malt syrup or honey – 2 oz in the dough
• Sprinkle cinnamon on dough when shaping loaves, so the cinnamon is swirled throughout the loaf
• Add raisins to the dough when shaping the loaves

Ingredient	Volume          2 Loaves	Standard         2 Loaves	Metric           2 Loaves	Bakers %
Preferment	All	All	All	93.0 %
Evaporated Milk	½  cup	4 oz	113 g	10.8 %
Canned Pumpkin	¾ cup	6.3 oz	178 g	17.0 %
Oil	2 TBSP	1 oz	28 g	2.7 %
Malt Syrup	1 Heaping TBSP	1 oz	28 g	2.7 %
Bread Flour	4 ½   cups	20.2 oz	572 g	54.5 %
Salt	3 ½  teasp	.7 oz	19.8 g	1.9 %
Total Dough Weight	4 lb 3.7 oz	4 lb 3.7 oz	1919 g	182.5%
Total Flour Weight	2 lb 5.1 oz	2 lb 5.1 oz	1051 g	100.0 %
Total Water Weight (hydration)	1 lb 10 oz	1 lb 10 oz	737 g	70.1 %

 Mix all of the ingredients until incorporated. Use the low or medium speed setting on your mixer. After the ingredients have been mixed together, turn off your mixer and allow the dough to autolyse (rest) for 20 minutes. After the autolyse period, turn your mixer back on the lowest speed and add the .9 oz of salt.

Let the dough mix on low speed for about four minutes to develop the gluten. Dough will be very sticky. Place the dough back into a dough folding trough if you have one or a large container and let it ferment for four hours until around 11:30 am. If using folding trough, fold the dough about once an hour to strengthen the gluten.

After fermenting for four hours, take the dough and divide it into two pieces. Then using a well floured surface shape and place the loaves into the proofing baskets, lined with heavily floured proofing cloths or use a couche. To stagger the loaves, shape the second loaf 30 minutes after the first loaf, so they can be baked at different times. Allow loaves to final proof, which should take 1 – 2 hours. When there is about an hour until baking time, preheat your oven to 450F/232.2C degrees.

When the dough is ready and feels bubbly and springy, take the first loaf and turn the dough out onto a peel or flat baking sheet. Press pumpkin seeds into the top of the dough and slash if you wish. Slide into the hot preheated 450F/232.2C degree oven, onto a hot baking stone, spray the dough once with water quickly, and then cover with a roasting lid which has also been preheated in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, take off the roasting lid and turn down the oven to 400F/204.4C degrees.

Continue baking for 15 – 20 more minutes, turning the loaf once for even browning. To make sure the loaf is done, using your bread thermometer, check to see if it is at  200-205F/93-96C degrees in the center of the loaf. For the next loaf, turn the oven back up to 450F/232.2C degrees and put the roasting lid back in to preheat. Bake the same as the first loaf. This bread is a light pumpkin colored, airy loaf with crunchy roasted seeds on the top crust. It will make a great Halloween buffet loaf.