Turmeric Sourdough with Pumpkin Seeds

Cold an gloomy weather makes me want to bring the bright colors back. This Turmeric Sourdough with Pumpkin Seeds loaf speaks for itself, yellow, delicious turmeric sourdough with a crunch of pumpkin seeds.

Ingredients

Sourdough starter 

• 5g sourdough starter
• 35g water
• 30g all purpose flour or bread flour
• 5g rye flour

Dough

• 270g bread flour (90%)
• 30g stone ground whole wheat flour (10%)
• 207g water (69%)
• 21g cold water added along with salt (7%), total hydration 76%
• 6g turmeric powder (2%)
• 30-40g pumpkin seeds
• 60g levain (20%)
• 6g salt (2%)

Directions 

Starter

• 7 am add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at a room temp 74-78F for about 8-10 hours until starter reaches its peak (at least triples in volume).
• Learn how to make starter from scratch here.

Dough

• 5 pm mix water with flour and turmeric powder, cover, let it rest 1 hour for autolyse.
• During the autolyse process flour absorbs water, becoming fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.

• 6 pm add sourdough starter. 
• Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 min until well incorporated.
• Cover, let it rest for 30 min.

• 6:30 pm add salt and extra water. 
• The process of adding extra water is called bassinage, it helps to tighten up gluten. Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or with KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5-6 min until well incorporated. The dough should come up together, but still be sticky on the bottom.

• Continue gluten development and structure building by performing stretches and folds during the warm fermentation period.
• Leave to rest 30 min. At 74-78F /23-26C.
• 7 pm spray your work surface with water, wet your hands to perform lamination.
• Lamination is the process of stretching the dough as thin as you can without ripping it.
• Spread the pumpkin seeds all over the dough, fold and it let rest for 45 minutes.

• 7:45 pm 1st stretch and fold.
• 8:30 pm 2nd stretch and fold.
• 9.15 pm 3rd stretch and fold.

Performing stretches and folds will help with gluten development. Keep monitoring the dough, if it rises too fast, you can shorten the time between stretches to 40 minutes or less.

After the final stretch let the dough proof for 30 minutes at 76-80F/ 23-26C. You should see some bubbles on the surface, the dough has to become lighter. We are looking for 40%-50% rise. 

Preshaping sourdough 

• 9:45 pm transfer the dough on to a work surface and dust its top with flour. Flip the dough over so the floured side faces down.
• Fold the dough onto itself so the flour on the surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf. This will become the crust.
• Place the dough round on a work surface and let it rest for 30 minutes uncovered.

Shaping sourdough 

• 10.15 pm dust the dough with flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over on to a work surface so the floured sides face down.
• Starting with the side closest to you, pull the right 2 corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into half of the dough. Repeat this action with the other side too.
• Finally, roll the dough. Shape it into a smooth, taut roll.
• Transfer the roll, seam side up, to a prepared proofing basket (loaf pan with kitchen towel).
• Cover it with plastic and return the dough to the 80F (27C) environment for 15 minutes.
• Then transfer the dough to rise for 14-24 hours in the refrigerator.

Baking

Next morning

• Preheat your oven to 500 F, place a cast iron pan with the lid inside for 45 minutes -1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge. 

• Flip it over on a parchment paper, score it with a sharp knife or a scoring lame. 
• Transfer on to the hot cast iron pan, cover with the lid (to create steam for a beautiful and crusty crumb).
• Bake at 500F for 15 minutes with lid on.

• Remove the lid, lower temperature to 450F. 
• Bake for 20 more minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy your turmeric sourdough bread!

Turmeric Sourdough with Pumpkin Seeds

1451kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 35 minutes mins

Total 1 day d 3 hours hrs

Bright, golden-yellow, and delicious, this vibrant artisan sourdough loaf features warm earthy turmeric paired with the satisfying crunch of toasted pumpkin seeds.

Servings 1 Loaf

Cuisine Modern Artisan Sourdough

Ingredients

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Sourdough Starter Levain

• ▢ 5 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 35 g Water
• ▢ 30 g All-purpose flour or bread flour
• ▢ 5 g Rye flour

Main Golden Dough Base

• ▢ 270 g Bread flour (90%)
• ▢ 30 g Stone-ground whole wheat flour (10%)
• ▢ 6 g Ground turmeric powder (2%)
• ▢ 207 g Water (69% – for main autolyse)
• ▢ 21 g Cold water (7% – reserved for bassinage)
• ▢ 60 g Active levain (20% – from stage above)
• ▢ 6 g Salt (2%)
• ▢ 30–40 g Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Equipment

• ▢
  Kitchen Scale
• ▢
  Mixing Bowl
• ▢
  Proofing Basket (Banneton)
• ▢
  Cast Iron Pan with Lid / Dutch Oven
• ▢
  Scoring Lame (or sharp razor blade)
• ▢
  Parchment Paper

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

1. Starter Levain Build (7:00 AM)

1. In a small jar, whisk 5 g starter into 35 g water until combined. Stir in 30 g bread/AP flour and 5 g rye flour.
2. Cover loosely and let ferment at 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8–10 hours until peaked and tripled in volume.

2. Turmeric Autolyse & Mixing (5:00 PM)

1. Autolyse (5:00 PM): In a mixing bowl, combine 270 g bread flour, 30 g whole wheat flour, 6 g turmeric powder, and 207 g water. Mix until no dry flour remains. Cover and let autolyse for 1 hour.
2. Starter Integration (6:00 PM): Add 60 g active levain. Mix on low speed for 2–3 minutes (or KitchenAid speed 3 for 3–4 minutes). Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
3. Bassinage & Salt (6:30 PM): Add 6 g salt and 21 g cold extra water. Mix on low speed for 2–3 minutes (or KitchenAid speed 3 for 5–6 minutes) until the dough comes together cohesive but slightly sticky on the bottom. Rest for 30 minutes.

3. Lamination & Bulk Fermentation

1. Lamination & Pumpkin Seeds (7:00 PM): Lightly spray work surface with water and wet your hands. Stretch dough thin into a rectangle (lamination), scatter 30–40 g pumpkin seeds evenly over the surface, fold into a package, and rest for 45 minutes.
2. Stretch & Folds: Perform 3 sets of stretch-and-folds spaced 45 minutes apart (7:45 PM, 8:30 PM, 9:15 PM).
3. After final fold, let dough proof untouched for 30 minutes until visibly lighter and hit a 40%–50% rise.

4. Preshaping, Shaping & Cold Retard

1. Preshape (9:45 PM): Turn dough onto counter, dust top with flour, flip over, fold edges onto itself, and let rest uncovered for 30 minutes.
2. Shape (10:15 PM): Flip dough over, pull corners inward, and roll into a smooth, taut ball or log.
3. Transfer seam-side up into a floured proofing basket, cover with plastic, rest at 80°F (27°C) for 15 minutes, then place into the refrigerator for a 14–24 hour cold retard.

5. Next Morning: Bake

1. Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C) with a cast iron pan and lid inside for 45–60 minutes.
2. Flip cold dough onto parchment paper, score with a sharp lame, and transfer to hot cast iron pan.
3. Cover with lid and bake at 500°F (260°C) for 15 minutes.
4. Remove lid, lower heat to 450°F (232°C), and bake uncovered for 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool 2 hours before slicing!

Nutrition

Calories1451kcalCarbohydrates264gProtein51gFat21gSaturated Fat4gPolyunsaturated Fat9gMonounsaturated Fat5gTrans Fat0.02gSodium2351mgPotassium824mgFiber15gSugar2gVitamin A13IUVitamin C2mgCalcium91mgIron10mg

Notes

• Why Pre-Soaking the Seeds is a Absolute Necessity: Adding raw or roasted dry seeds directly into an artisan sourdough mix will quickly ruin your crumb texture. Dry seeds are incredibly thirsty and will act like tiny sponges, pulling hydration straight out of the surrounding dough matrix. This creates dense, dry, and gummy pockets immediately surrounding the inclusions. Pre-soaking the pumpkin seeds overnight ensures they are fully saturated and won’t disrupt your dough’s hydration.
• The Golden Properties of Turmeric in Sourdough: Beyond providing a magnificent, deep marigold color to your interior crumb, turmeric root powder carries a warm, subtle woodsy profile that complements the natural lactic tang of a long sourdough fermentation. Turmeric is also a natural antioxidant, though it can slightly soften gluten structures; capping the inclusion at a precise 4 grams guarantees a stellar color and flavor profile without weakening your oven spring.
• Perfecting Inclusions via Lamination: Rather than attempting to force heavy, slippery pumpkin seeds into the dough during the initial autolyse or mixing stages—which would physically slice through fragile gluten networks—this recipe relies on a clean lamination step. Stretching the relaxed dough into a thin sheet at 10:00 AM creates an orderly distribution of seeds, neatly layering them into the bread without compromising its structural volume.

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