Easy Pumpkin Sourdough Bread
What could be better than the smell of freshly baked bread that fills the whole house? The feeling of taking homemade bread out of the oven, cutting into it, hearing the crust crunch, and then eating one or perhaps many slices while it's still warm for breakfast is very special! And no, you don't need to be afraid of sourdough. You can purchase it in liquid form at the organic market or make your own and store it in your fridge long-term. It's like a little pet that you'll soon learn to understand.
To make all the effort worthwhile in terms of taste and appearance and to fit in perfectly with autumn, we have an intense pumpkin bread for you - with lots of pumpkin, pumpkin seeds and autumnal spices. You can use either Hokkaido or butternut squash for the recipe, as these become wonderfully creamy and slightly sweet when cooked, making the bread moist and fluffy later on. It goes perfectly with orange marmalade or vegan cream cheese with rocket and tomatoes.
And that's not all: we'll also show you how to make it look like a real little pumpkin! It only takes a few simple steps, but the effect will impress any breakfast guests. You only need a string made from natural materials (it will get very hot in the oven, so please don't use plastic) and a razor blade or sharp knife. Of course, you can also bake the bread in any other shape, round or in a loaf pan.
Easy Pumpkin Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
For the Sourdough:
- 75 g (2.66 oz) sourdough starter (homemade or liquid from the organic market)
- 75 g (2.66 oz) spelt flour (type 630)
- 75 g (2.66 oz) lukewarm water
For the Bread Dough:
- 500 ml (2 cups) water
- 200 g (7 oz) pumpkin seeds
- 300 g (10.5 oz) hokkaido pumpkin
- 500 g (4 cups) spelt flour (type 630)
- 150 ml (0.66 cups) lukewarm water
- 15 g salt (0.5 oz)
- 3 tsp pumpkin spice
- neutral vegetable oil
Also:
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 1 razor blade
- 2 m string made from natural materials
Instructions
For the sourdough, mix the sourdough starter, spelt flour and water in a bowl until smooth and leave uncovered for at least five hours until the dough bubbles and has doubled in volume.
Bring 500 milliliters / 2 cups of water to a boil and pour over the pumpkin seeds. Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 355 ° (top/bottom heat).
Cut the pumpkin into 1-centimeter cubes, brush with a little vegetable oil and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes. Once soft, remove from the oven, place in a bowl, mash with a fork, and leave to cool.
For the bread dough, place the spelt flour, (150 milliliters / 0.66 cups) of lukewarm water, sourdough and pumpkin puree in a large bowl and knead vigorously with your hands for eight minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and leave to rest in the bowl, covered with a damp tea towel, for 30 minutes.
Drain the pumpkin seeds and leave to drain well. Add the salt, pumpkin spice and soaked pumpkin seeds to the dough and knead for a minute. Shape the dough back into a round ball, cover it with a damp cloth, and leave it to rest at room temperature for at least three, but ideally five hours. Halfway through the resting time, fold the dough tightly once round: Grasp the edge of the dough, pull it outwards and then fold it inwards. Repeat this process until a tight ball has formed again.
Line a bowl with a clean tea towel and dust it with flour.
After resting, fold the dough again to form a tight ball and place it in the prepared bowl with the end facing upwards. Cover loosely with a damp cloth or some cling film (the dough must still be able to breathe) and place the bowl in the fridge overnight for at least 8 or preferably 12 hours.Preheat the oven to 250 °C / 480 °F (top/bottom heat) the next morning. Preheat a large roasting pan, saucepan or cast-iron pot with a lid. Only take the bread dough out of the fridge when the oven is hot (it must not wait too long at room temperature to bake). Cut four strings to a length of 50 centimeters / 20 inches and tie them together in the middle to form a figure-eight cross. Spread the cross out on a sheet of baking paper. Carefully slide the dough out of the bowl onto the cross, insert the cinnamon stick into the middle of the dough and tie the opposite ends of the string to the cinnamon stick so that the dough is slightly squashed - but only slightly! Then, score patterns into the dough with a sharp razor blade.
Place the bread in the preheated pan using the parchment paper and put the lid on. Bake for 25 minutes at 250 °C / 480 °F (top/bottom heat). Then, remove the lid so the steam can escape and bake the bread uncovered for 30 minutes. To test whether it is baked through, remove the bread from the pan and tap the center of the base. If it sounds hollow, it is done. Place the bread on a wire rack, remove the strings, and leave it to cool.
