Sourdough Pumpkin Bread (Vegan)
A warmly spiced vegan pumpkin bread which uses sourdough discard!
Servings 1 loaf (serves 12)
Ingredients
- 200 g (3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp) pumpkin puree* (SEE NOTES if using homemade)
- 150 g (3/4 cup) light brown sugar*
- 90 g (1/3 cup + 2 tsp) neutral oil or light olive oil
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- zest of 1 orange , finely grated
- 1/4 tsp fine table salt
- 150 g (3/4 cup) sourdough starter/discard (100% hydration)
- 120 g (1 cup) plain white (all-purpose) flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
Topping (optional):
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds/pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (350°F). Grease a 2lb loaf tin with some oil and line with a sling of baking paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, spices, orange zest and salt until smooth.200 g (3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp) pumpkin puree*, 150 g (3/4 cup) light brown sugar*, 90 g (1/3 cup + 2 tsp) neutral oil or light olive oil, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, zest of 1 orange, 1/4 tsp fine table salt
- Stir in the sourdough starter. Lastly, add the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Fold together until just combined.150 g (3/4 cup) sourdough starter/discard, 120 g (1 cup) plain white (all-purpose) flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Pour the batter into your lined loaf tin. Sprinkle with the topping of light brown sugar and pumpkin seeds, if using.2 tbsp light brown sugar, 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds/pepitas
- Bake for 55-70 minutes- a toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean. If the loaf looks like it's browning too much but is not cooked through yet, tent the top with foil for the last 20 minutes of baking.
- Allow to cool before removing from the tin, slicing & serving.
Notes
Adapted from my Sourdough Banana Bread (vegan)
Amount of sugar: use 150g for a slightly less sweet loaf or 200g if you prefer things sweeter
If you don't have sourdough starter/discard: just replace the discard with an extra 75g (2/3 cup) plain white flour and 75g (1/3 cup) water, mixed together until smooth.
If using homemade pumpkin puree: it is essential that your pumpkin puree is drained before weighing & using in this recipe. To do this, line a sieve (mesh strainer) set over a bowl with 2 layers of cheesecloth. Fill with your homemade pumpkin puree and leave to drain for 2-3 hours. After this time, gather up the edges of the cheesecloth and twist together at the top. Gently squeeze the bundle of puree to remove any last bit of water - don't squeeze too hard or the puree may start to seep through the cheesecloth! The texture should be very thick just like canned pumpkin puree. You can now measure it out and use it in the recipe.
To make homemade pumpkin puree: cut your pumpkin in half. Place cut side down on a baking tray and roast at 180C fan (350F) for 1-2 hours until completely soft. Remove from the oven, flip over and scoop out the seeds then discard them. Scoop the flesh into a blender/food processor/bowl with sitck blender, discard the skin. Blitz the flesh until smooth then drain as instructed above.
What is 100% hydration sourdough starter? This means that when feeding your starter, you're using an equal weight of flour & water (e.g. feeding it with 50g flour & 50g water each time).
Non-Vegan option: use 100g butter, melted, in place of the oil.