Mini Pumpkin Sourdough Brioche Buns

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BySarah | Grains & Greens Kitchen Posted on

Soft mini pumpkin sourdough brioche buns, enriched with butter and a hint of vanilla. Fresh milled whole grains make this charming, pumpkin-shaped fall bake extra cozy.

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Whole grain sourdough pumpkin buns, shaped as mini pumpkins, decorated with vanilla bean pods as stems. The mini buns are sitting in a bread basket, lined with an embroidered linen napkin.
Whole grain sourdough pumpkin buns, shaped as mini pumpkins, decorated with vanilla bean pods as stems. The mini buns are sitting in a bread basket, lined with an embroidered linen napkin.

With their charming shape, tender texture, and notes of vanilla, these mini pumpkin sourdough brioche bread rolls are the perfect fall baking project. They’re wholesome but fun. A little crafty but not much trouble at all. They’re wholesome enough to fuel you for busy days but also fun enough to linger over on a stretched out weekend breakfast.

And if they’re not your ideal Halloween fit, they’ll still be super cute on any holiday table, from Thanksgiving dinner to Christmas morning.

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin-Shaped Whole Grain Sourdough Recipe

  • Fresh-Milled Start — These whole grain sourdough brioche buns are soft, golden, and nourishing. A cozy fall twist on classic whole grain sourdough.
  • Simple, Real Ingredients — Made with fresh-milled flour, homemade pumpkin puree, real sourdough starter, and a touch of vanilla. No refined ingredients.
  • Sourdough Brioche Buns, Reinvented — Rich like brioche, shaped like mini pumpkins, and naturally sweet. Perfect for breakfast, brunches, or your fall holiday table.
  • Charming and Wholesome — Nothing gets kids (and adults, let’s be honest) more excited about whole grain sourdough bread than a soft, pumpkin-shaped bun.
Baked and golden orange whole grain sourdough brioche buns, shaped as mini pumpkins on a lined baking sheet.
Baked and golden orange whole grain sourdough brioche buns, shaped as mini pumpkins on a lined baking sheet.

Tools You May Need

Stand Mixer (Optional) A stand mixer is really helpful for kneading a lot of cold butter into a firm dough.

Kitchen Twine For tying around the brioche buns and turning them into charming little pumpkins.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Freshly Milled Flour Grind spelt or soft-wheat berries on the finest setting of your grain mill, for best taste and highest nutritional benefits. If you’re not milling at home (yet), use store-bought whole grain spelt flour. In Europe, any whole wheat flour can be used.

Sourdough Starter Use active bubbly starter, that’s been fed within the last 4-8 hours, if you keep it at room temperature. If you keep your starter in the fridge. use fridge-cold starter, that’s been fed within the last week.

Pumpkin Puree You can use canned pumpkin puree or make your own Homemade Roasted Pumpkin Puree from scratch. Canned pumpkin puree tends to be dryer, so add one to two tablespoons more water if necessary.

Butter Fridge-cold, cubed butter turns a hearty whole grain dough into a moist and tender brioche dough. For dairy-free mini pumpkins, choose a high quality vegan block butter or margarine.

Vanilla It adds a subtle depth to the background of these whole grain buns. I use the seeds of one vanilla bean, mostly because I want the pod for decorating. Since whole grains have a beautifully strong flavor on their own, I prefer to also add extra vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or vanilla sugar (a classic German baking staple).

Baking Timelines

Feed your starter the night before so it’s active and bubbly in the morning.

08:00 AM

Mill your grains. Mix everything but butter into a shaggy dough. Cover and rest.

08:30 aM

Knead in butter until the dough is tacky but smooth. Cover and bulk ferment at room temperature.

08:30 PM

Shape the dough into mini pumpkins. Cover and proof on the baking sheet at room temperature until puffed.

09:30 PM

Brush mini pumpkin sourdough buns with egg-wash, bake and cool completely.

Feed your starter in the afternoon, so it’s active and bubbly by evening.

09:00 pM

Mill your grains. Mix everything but butter into a shaggy dough. Cover and rest.

09:30 pM

Knead in butter until the dough is tacky but smooth. Cover and bulk ferment at room temperature overnight.

09:30 aM

Shape the dough into mini pumpkins. Cover and proof on the baking sheet at room temperature until puffed.

10:30 aM

Brush mini pumpkin sourdough buns with egg-wash, bake and cool completely.

How to Make Whole Grain Sourdough Brioche Buns (Step-by-Step)

01

Make Vanilla sugar
A scraped vanilla bean pod sitting next to a small white dish with a fluted edge, full of fresh vanilla sugar, sitting on a marble background.

Split the vanilla bean pod lengthwise with a small, sharp knife and scrape out the tiny black seeds. Rub the vanilla seeds into the light brown sugar, until fragrant.

02

Mill Fresh Flour
Freshly milled flour is falling from the spout of a wooden home grain mill into a ceramic bowl underneath.

Measure out whole soft wheat (or spelt) berries and grind them on the finest setting of your grain mill.

03

Mix And Rest Dough
Shaggy, pre-mixed dough in a stainless steel bowl of a stand mixer, sticking to the paddle attachment.

Meanwhile, combine sourdough starter, pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add the fresh flour to the wet ingredients and combine everything into a shaggy dough, using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer. Cover and rest for 30-60 minutes.

04

Enrich with Butter
A small white bowl with fluted edge, holding cubed pieces of fridge-cold butter, sits next to a stand mixer, ready to be kneaded into the orange pumpkin sourdough brioche dough.
Closeup of intensely orange whole grain sourdough pumpkin brioche dough in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Shiny and slightly tacky whole grain pumpkin sourdough brioche dough is resting in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Cut fridge-cold butter into cubes. Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead the dough on the lowest setting for about 3 minutes. Once it starts coming together, add the butter, one cube at a time, every 30-ish seconds. The dough will become increasingly sticky-that’s okay! Keep kneading in the butter until the dough is starting to pull away from the sides again. Gather the dough into a sticky ball, cover the bowl and bulk for 8-14 hours.

05

Divide the Dough
Whole grain sourdough brioche dough is portioned out into twelve equal pieces on a wooden kitchen counter.

When the dough is puffy and doubled in size, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle a little flour over the top of the dough in the bowl, and turn it out to your work surface. Equally divide into 12 pieces.

06

Shape
A shaped sourdough brioche bun is being wrapped and tied up with four pieces of kitchen twine.

Cut 3 to 4 pieces of kitchen twine and lay them crosswise on your counter. Shape a piece of dough into a smooth ball and lay it, seam side down, in the middle of the twine. Loosely tie the twine around the ball of dough and tie a knot at the top.

07

Make Mini Pumpkins
Four pieces of kitchen twine are loosely tied up around a round piece of pumpkin sourdough brioche dough.

Tie all ends together at the top and cut off any excess twine. Transfer to the lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining 11 pieces of dough.

08

proof
Shaped and tied up pumpkin sourdough brioche rolls are resting on a lined baking sheet.

Once all mini pumpkins are shaped and on the tray, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30-60 minutes, until slightly puffed and pressing gently against the twine.

09

egg-wash
Shaped and tied up pumpkin sourdough brioche rolls have puffed up and are pressing up against their ties on a lined baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F). Brush mini pumpkin sourdough brioche rolls with egg wash and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

10

bake
Whole grain sourdough brioche buns have been baked up into mini pumpkins on a lined baking sheet.

Remove from the oven and let cool to completely. Carefully cut the twine and pull it away from the buns. Cut up scraped vanilla bean pod into small segments and use them as little decorative pumpkin stems (optional but cute).

Tips

  • Don’t tie the twine too tight around the buns. They need room to expand before and during baking. If tied too tightly, sections of the pumpkin might extend out to release the steam during baking.
  • Scrape the dough down as needed if it clings to the sides of your bowl.
  • Fermentation time will vary, depending on the activity of your starter and the temperature of your kitchen.
  • If the bowl of your stand mixer is very large, transfer the dough to a smaller bowl. This way it will be a lot easier to tell when the dough has doubled in size.
  • Mini pumpkins are done baking when the outside turns golden brown and the inside reaches 88°C (190°F).

Variations

  • Different Grains
    I’ve successfully made this recipe with spelt, my favorite yellow heritage soft wheat, and standard German soft wheat, all freshly milled on the finest setting of my grain mill.
  • Swap Spices
    Instead of vanilla, you can use 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or a homemade blend of fall spices, like cloves, nutmeg, mace, cardamom or ginger.
  • Add Chocolate
    When the dough has finished kneading, add a handful of chocolate chips and knead just until evenly incorporated. Or form the dough balls around a larger chocolate chunk, for a surprise chocolate core.
A split pumpkin sourdough brioche bun on a pale blue plate, one side spread with butter, the other plain next to a lined basket filled with mini pumpkin-shaped sourdough buns and a ceramic butter dish.
A split pumpkin sourdough brioche bun on a pale blue plate, spread with butter, next to a lined basket filled with mini pumpkin-shaped sourdough buns and a ceramic butter dish.

How to Serve

Mini pumpkin brioche buns are at their softest after baking and cooling, so they’re best served on the same day.

Split them open, spread with butter and jam, homemade chocolate hazelnut spread, or, my personal favorite, Swiss cheese. Trust me, soft pumpkin brioche buns were made for cheese.

Serve as special occasion dinner rolls, split and spread with salted butter.

How to Store and Freeze Sourdough Brioche Buns

At Room Temperature:
Store cooled sourdough pumpkin bread rolls in a freezer bag or other airtight container for up to 3-4 days.

In The Freezer:
Wrap leftover mini sourdough pumpkin rolls in a freezer bag, separate them with a piece of parchment paper, and remove as much air as possible. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight.

Recipe FAQs

Not if you don’t want to! You can skip the twine and the tying up and just shape these into regular, round sourdough brioche buns that can be baked the same way. Or turn them into classic dinner rolls instead, and bake in a 9×13-inch (23x33cm) pan. Increase baking time by 5-10 minutes and check for an internal temperature of 88°C (190°F) with a digital thermometer.

Yes. Divide the dough into 6-8 equal pieces and place them, side by side, in a greased standard loaf pan. Proof in the pan and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 88°C (190°F). Brush the hot loaf with melted butter for that classic brioche sheen.

Yes, you can turn this into a sourdough discard brioche by adding 7g (1 sachet) of instant yeast to the dough after the first rest. Knead in the yeast for 3 minutes, then start adding the cold, cubed butter. Let the dough rise for 45 minutes, shape into mini pumpkins, and proof on the baking sheet for 30 minutes. Bake as written in the recipe.

If you make these Mini Pumpkin Sourdough BRioche Buns…

I’d love to hear how they turned out!

P.S. If you’re into pumpkin sourdough bread, you might love this recipe for Cinnamon-Swirled Pumpkin Sourdough Bagels as well!

happy baking!

Mini Pumpkin Sourdough Brioche Buns

With Fresh Milled Flour
Soft, golden fresh-milled sourdough brioche buns shaped like mini pumpkin! Made with fresh-milled flour and sourdough starter for rich flavor, tender crumb, and cozy fall feelings. The perfect fresh-milled brioche bread for breakfast, brunch, or your holiday table.
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Baked and golden orange whole grain sourdough brioche buns, shaped as mini pumpkins on a lined baking sheet.
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:25 minutes
Bulk Rise and Proofing Time:12 hours
Total Time:12 hours 40 minutes
Equipment
  • Stand Mixer - (optional but highly recommended)
  • kitchen twine - (for tying up buns into pumpkins)
Ingredients

Dough Ingredients

  • 350 g fresh milled flour - (from ~1¾ cups whole soft wheat or spelt berries)
  • 100 g sourdough starter, active and bubbly - (½ cup)
  • 130 g pumpkin puree, homemade or canned - (½ cup)
  • 2 eggs
  • 60 g raw cane sugar - (¼ cup)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract - or vanilla sugar/vanilla bean paste
  • 8 g salt
  • 113 g butter, cold and cubed - (½ cup or 1 stick)

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tbsp water
Instructions

Make Vanilla Sugar

  • Split the vanilla bean pod lengthwise with a small, sharp knife and scrape out the tiny black seeds. Rub the vanilla seeds into the light brown sugar, until fragrant.

Mill Whole Grains

  • Measure out whole wheat (or spelt) berries and grind them on the finest setting of your grain mill.

Mix and Rest Dough

  • Meanwhile, combine sourdough starter, pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Add the fresh flour to the wet ingredients and use the paddle attachment to combine everything into a shaggy dough. Cover and rest for 30-60 minutes.

Enrich with Butter

  • Cut fridge-cold butter into cubes. Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead the dough on the lowest setting for about 3 minutes. Once it starts coming together, add the butter, one cube at a time, every 30-ish seconds.
  • Keep kneading until the dough is starting to pull away from the sides again. Gather the dough into a slightly tacky ball, cover the bowl and bulk rest for 8-14 hours.

Shape Mini Pumpkins

  • When the dough is puffy and doubled in size, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle a little flour over the top of the dough in the bowl, and turn it out to your work surface. Divide into 12 equal pieces.
  • Cut 3 to 4 pieces of kitchen twine and lay them crosswise on your counter. Shape a piece of dough into a smooth ball and lay it, seam side down, in the middle of the twine. Loosely tie the twine around the ball of dough and tie a knot at the top. Tie all loose ends together at the top and cut off any excess twine. Transfer to the lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining 11 pieces of dough.

Proof

  • Once all mini pumpkins are shaped and on the tray, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30-60 minutes, until slightly puffed and pressing gently against the twine.

Bake

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F). Brush mini pumpkin sourdough brioche rolls with egg wash and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Cool and Decorate

  • Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Cut the scraped vanilla bean into small segments and use them as little decorative stems for the pumpkin buns (optional but cute).
Notes
  • Mini pumpkins are done baking when the outside turns golden brown and the inside reaches 88°C (190°F).
  • Fermentation time will vary, depending on the activity of your starter and the temperature of your kitchen.
  • Don’t tie the twine too tight around the buns. They need a little room to expand before and during baking.
  • Mini pumpkin brioche buns are the softest after baking and cooling, so they’re best served on the same day.
  • Store, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
Servings: 12 Mini Pumpkin Buns
Calories: 225kcal
Author: Sarah | Grains & Greens Kitchen

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Whole grain sourdough pumpkin buns, shaped as mini pumpkins, decorated with vanilla bean pods as stems. The mini buns are sitting in a bread basket, lined with an embroidered linen napkin.

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