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–+ servings

Fresh-Milled Whole Wheat Pumpkin Sourdough

Made with fresh-milled flour and homemade pumpkin puree, this seasonal twist on a classic German whole wheat sourdough bread is soft, chewy, and irresistibly flavorful. Works with soft wheat or spelt, baked in a Dutch oven for a tender crumb and crusty exterior — perfect for breakfast, sandwiches, or fall dinners.
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A crusty loaf of whole wheat sourdough pumpkin bread, scored with a ripped cross pattern, sitting on a piece of wrinkled parchment paper in the bottom of a light teal blue bread cloche, next to the lid on a white wooden surface.
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Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:40 minutes
Autolyse, Bulk & Proofing Times:10 hours
Total Time:10 hours 55 minutes
Servings:14 slices
Calories:152kcal
Equipment
  • Grain Mill (Optional)
  • Stand Mixer (Optional)
  • Banneton Basket and Linen Liner (Optional) 
  • Dutch Oven (Optional)
  • Bread Lame, Razor or Other Sharp Blade
Ingredients
  • 500 g fresh milled soft wheat or spelt flour - (milled from ~ 2½ cups whole soft wheat berries) see Ingredients Notes to choose a store-bought alternative
  • 110 g sourdough starter, active and bubbly - (½ cup)
  • 12 g salt
  • 20 g honey - (1 tbsp) sub maple syrup or brown sugar
  • 170 g pumpkin puree - (⅔ cup) homemade or canned
  • 270 g water - (1 cup + 2 tbsp)
Instructions

Mill Flour

  • Measure out whole wheat berries and grind them on the finest setting of your grain mill.
    500 g fresh milled soft wheat or spelt flour

Mix and Autolyse

  • In the meantime, combine water, pumpkin puree, sourdough starter, salt and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour and use the paddle attachment to bring everything together into a shaggy dough.
    110 g sourdough starter, active and bubbly, 12 g salt, 170 g pumpkin puree, 270 g water, 20 g honey
  • Cover and autolyse for 30-60 minutes.

Knead the Dough

  • Switch to the dough hook and knead for 07-10 minutes on the lowest speed. The dough will be a little tacky, but you should be able to gather it into a smooth, stretchy ball of dough that passes the windowpane test.
  • Cover the bowl, and bulk ferment for 6-8 hours, until slightly domed, puffy, and roughly doubled in size.

Shape and Proof

  • When the dough has finished bulk ferment, prepare your banneton basket.
  • Sprinkle some flour across the top of the dough and turn it out to a clean work top. Gently pull the dough out into a rectangle. Fold the top third down, bottom third up, then fold the sides in towards the middle. Flip seam side down. Cup your hands around the dough and gently pull it toward you to build surface tension. Turn and repeat until taut.
  • Place into your prepared banneton, seam side up. Proof for 30 minutes at room temperature or in the fridge, to help the dough hold its shape.

Bake

  • Preheat your oven and dutch oven to 250°C (500°F) for 30-45 minutes.
  • Cover the banneton basket with a piece of parchment paper and flip it over gently. Score the top of the dough at a 45° angle down the middle or cross-wise. Carefully remove the lid from the hot dutch oven and lower the scored loaf into the pot. Cover and return to the oven.
  • Drop the temperature to 210°C (425°F) immediately. Bake for 25 minutes, take off the lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Tap and Cool

  • Remove the baked bread from the dutch oven and place it on a cooling rack. It’s done if it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Let cool for at least 1 hour (if you can wait that long).
Notes
  • Homemade pumpkin puree can be a little unpredictable, so feel free to add 1 to 2 tablespoons additional water, if the dough seems too dry.
  • If you’re baking with fresh-milled flour, avoid a long cold proof in the fridge. Fresh flour can over proof in the fridge in as little as 2 hours.
  • If the dough feels slack during shaping, it may have over proofed. Feel free to skip scoring in that case. A rustically ripped crust will still look a lot better than a sad score that didn’t pop.
  • Keep the loaf wrapped airtight at room temperature for up to three to four days.
  • Wrap in a freezer bag as a whole loaf or evenly sliced, and freeze for up to three months. You can toast single slices straight from frozen or set out a whole loaf to thaw at room temperature overnight. 
Author: Sarah | Grains & Greens Kitchen
Calories: 152kcal
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it turned out!