Pumpkin Rye Sourdough Bread
Soft, fragrant, and beautifully golden — this Pumpkin Rye Sourdough Bread brings together the earthy depth of rye and the natural sweetness of roasted pumpkin. Perfect for fall baking, it’s a hearty, moist bread with a delicate rye sourdough tang and gorgeous color.
The pumpkin puree adds incredible softness to the crumb while helping the bread stay fresh for days, making it just as practical as it is beautiful. Rye flour brings subtle complexity and warmth without overpowering the loaf, creating a balanced flavor that pairs wonderfully with both sweet and savory toppings. Toasted with butter and honey, served alongside soups and stews, or layered into sandwiches, this bread feels comforting and versatile in every season.
What makes this loaf especially rewarding is the combination of rustic character and elegant simplicity. The crust bakes up deeply caramelized with beautiful natural color, while the inside remains tender, airy, and full of flavor. It’s a wonderful way to incorporate seasonal ingredients into everyday sourdough baking while still keeping the process approachable and enjoyable.
Ingredients
Rye Starter
- 20g active sourdough starter
- 150g dark rye flour
- 150g water
Final Dough
- All of the rye starter (from above)
- 200g roasted pumpkin purée (smooth and cooled)
- 450g bread flour
- 100g whole wheat flour
- 30g molasses (or honey)
- 240g water (adjust slightly depending on your flour and pumpkin moisture)
- 15g baking salt
- 1g instant dry yeast (optional, for extra lift)
Directions
Day 1
In the evening Prepare the starter by mixing all ingredients until well combined, cover, and let it ferment at room temperature overnight (10–12 hours). In the morning, the starter should be airy, slightly domed, and full of bubbles.
Learn how to make sourdough starter from scratch here.
Day 2
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix until the dough comes together and gluten is moderately developed. If using a stand mixer, knead for about 20 minutes on medium speed (speed 2) — the dough will feel elastic and slightly tacky but not sticky.
Divide the dough into: Two L11 molds, 430g each and One 8×4-inch mold, 530g.
Grease the pans lightly with butter. Smooth the top of each loaf with a wet spatula to even out the surface.
Cover and let rise at 26–28°C (78–82°F) for about 2–3 hours, until the dough nearly doubles in size.
Preheat the oven to 240°C (465°F).
Bake for 15 minutes with steam, then lower the temperature to 200°C (390°F) and bake for another 15 minutes, then reduce to 190°C (375°F) and bake for 10–15 more minutes, until the tops are richly browned and the loaves sound hollow when tapped.
Remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
• You can replace the molasses with honey for a lighter flavor.
• The pumpkin adds natural sweetness and color — choose a dry, flavorful variety like kabocha or butternut squash.
• The bread stays soft for several days and makes wonderful toast or sandwiches.
Pumpkin Rye Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 20 g active sourdough starter
- 150 g dark rye flour
- 150 g water
- all of the rye starter (from above)
- 200 g roasted pumpkin purée (smooth and cooled)
- 450 g bread flour
- 100 g whole wheat flour
- 30 g molasses (or honey)
- 240 g water (adjust slightly based on pumpkin moisture)
- 15 g baking salt
- 1 g instant dry yeast (optional, for extra lift)
Method
- Mix all rye starter ingredients until well combined. Cover and let ferment at room temperature overnight (10–12 hours) until airy and bubbled.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until gluten is moderately developed. (If using a stand mixer: 20 mins on speed 2 until elastic).
- Divide dough: Two L11 molds (430g each) and one 8×4-inch mold (530g).
- Grease pans with butter. Smooth the tops of the loaves with a wet spatula.
- Cover and rise at 26–28°C (78–82°F) for 2–3 hours until nearly doubled.
- Preheat oven to 240°C (465°F).
- Bake for 15 minutes with steam.
- Lower temperature to 200°C (390°F) and bake for 15 minutes.
- Reduce again to 190°C (375°F) and bake for 10–15 more minutes until tops are richly browned.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Nutrition
Notes
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Looks great
Looks so good! Can’t wait to try. Can you use canned pumpkin?
I see this recipe is very quick, meaning there’s no initial bulk fermentation; it’s just fermentation with the formed dough. Why did you do it in an accelerated manner? If it’s made the traditional way, which involves two fermentations (bulk dough in the refrigerator and then formed dough at room temperature (24°C to 27°C), do you think anything could change besides the flavor if it only uses sourdough?
Hi may try this as half recipe for one loaf, 9×5 pan? Will let you know how it turns out.
Dear Natasha, thank you so much for your recipes — I truly get incomparable pleasure from baking with them. I became curious about this one: not so much why, but for what purpose a rye starter is used when all the flour in the main dough is wheat. What does it contribute to the final result?