There’s a unique satisfaction that comes with sourdough baking, a slow and rewarding process that feels deeply connected to the seasons. When autumn rolls around, my kitchen transforms.
The air fills with the scent of warm spices, and my ever-present sourdough starter gets a new, exciting purpose: making the most incredible pumpkin chocolate chip sourdough bread.
Imagine pulling a dark, crusty loaf from your Dutch oven. It crackles as it cools. When you finally slice into it, the crumb is a beautiful, soft orange, studded with gooey, melted dark chocolate chips.
The aroma is a perfect blend of tangy sourdough, earthy pumpkin, and sweet cinnamon. This isn’t just bread; it’s the embodiment of a cozy fall weekend, a treat that’s both rustic and wonderfully indulgent.
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A Sourdough Baker’s Dream for Autumn
For anyone who lovingly tends to a sourdough starter, the thrill of experimentation is part of the joy. We add seeds, grains, and herbs, but when fall arrives, the inspiration shifts.
This pumpkin chocolate chip sourdough bread recipe is the beautiful marriage of two worlds: the complex, tangy flavor of long-fermented bread and the comforting sweetness of a classic pumpkin chocolate chip loaf.
This recipe was a labor of love, a series of baking experiments to get the balance just right.
Pumpkin adds significant moisture, which changes the dough’s hydration. The sweetness needed to be present but not so much that it would overpower the sourdough’s character.
After a few tries, the perfect loaf emerged—one with a soft, chewy crumb, a beautifully blistered crust, and a flavor that is both surprisingly complex and deeply comforting. It’s a loaf that tells a story of patience and seasonal delight.
Why This Recipe Is a Fall Baking Standout
Baking with sourdough is always a journey, but this recipe makes the destination exceptionally sweet. It’s a fantastic way to stretch your sourdough skills and produce a loaf that feels truly special.
Here’s what makes this pumpkin chocolate chip sourdough bread so remarkable:
- Complex Flavor Profile: The subtle tang from the sourdough starter cuts through the richness of the pumpkin and chocolate, creating a beautifully balanced and addictive taste.
- Wonderfully Moist and Chewy Crumb: Pumpkin puree gives the bread an incredible softness and moisture, while the sourdough process delivers that signature satisfying chew.
- Irresistible Aroma: The combination of pumpkin, warm spices, and melting chocolate will fill your home with an aroma that is pure, unadulterated comfort.
- Stunning Appearance: The deep orange crumb, dark chocolate pockets, and rustic, dark crust make for a visually stunning loaf that’s perfect for sharing.
Assembling Your Ingredients: The Sourdough Ritual
The best sourdough bakes begin with the quiet, mindful process of gathering and measuring.
It’s a ritual that centers you before the mixing, stretching, and waiting begins. Clear your counter, get out your digital scale (a must for sourdough!), and let’s get started.
For the Leaven (The Night Before):
- 40g active sourdough starter
- 40g bread flour
- 40g warm water
For the Main Dough:
- 450g bread flour
- 50g whole wheat flour
- 275g water, lukewarm
- 150g pumpkin puree (100% pure pumpkin, not pie filling)
- 60g brown sugar
- 10g fine sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 150g dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
The Sourdough Process: A Step-by-Step Guide
Baking this pumpkin chocolate chip sourdough bread is a two-day process, but most of that time is hands-off, letting nature do the work. Don’t be daunted by the timeline; the results are more than worth the wait.
Day 1: Building the Dough
Morning (around 9 AM): Prepare the Leaven
In a small jar, mix your 40g of active sourdough starter with 40g of bread flour and 40g of warm water. Stir until fully combined.
Cover loosely and let it sit in a warm spot for 4-6 hours. It’s ready when it has at least doubled in size, is full of bubbles, and passes the “float test” (a small spoonful will float in a glass of water).
Afternoon (around 2 PM): Autolyse
This step hydrates the flour and begins gluten development. In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to mix the 450g of bread flour, 50g of whole wheat flour, 275g of water, and 150g of pumpkin puree. Mix until a shaggy, cohesive dough forms and no dry flour remains. The dough will feel stiff. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 1 hour.
Afternoon (around 3 PM): Mix the Final Dough
After the rest, your dough will feel a bit more pliable. Add the 120g of active leaven, 60g of brown sugar, and 10g of salt to the bowl. Sprinkle the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg over the top.
Using wet hands, dimple the ingredients into the dough. Begin mixing by pinching, squeezing, and folding the dough over itself for about 5-7 minutes.
It will feel very sticky at first, but keep working it until everything is well incorporated and the dough starts to come together. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Day 1: Bulk Fermentation & Laminating the Chocolate Chips
Evening (from 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM): Building Strength and Flavor
Bulk fermentation is where the dough develops its structure and flavor. We’ll do a series of stretches and folds, and then laminate in the chocolate chips.
- First Stretch and Fold (3:30 PM): With damp hands, stretch one side of the dough up and fold it over the middle. Rotate the bowl and repeat on all four sides. Cover and rest.
- Second Stretch and Fold (4:00 PM): Repeat the process. The dough should start feeling stronger.
- Lamination (4:30 PM): Lightly mist your work surface with water. Gently tip the dough out and stretch it into a large, thin rectangle. Be gentle to avoid tearing it. Sprinkle about two-thirds of the chocolate chips evenly over the surface. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter, first from the short side, and then again from the long side, creating a neat package. Place the dough back in the bowl, seam-side down.
- Coil Fold (5:15 PM): Perform a coil fold by lifting the dough from the center and letting the ends fold underneath. Rotate and repeat.
- Final Coil Fold (6:00 PM): Perform one last coil fold.
After the final fold, cover the dough and let it rest in a warm place until it has risen by about 30-50% and feels airy and full of life. This could take another 1.5-2.5 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
Day 1: Shaping and Cold Proofing
Night (around 7:30 PM): Pre-shape
Gently ease the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Gently press it into a round and then use your bench scraper to tuck the edges underneath, creating a taut ball. Let it rest, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes.
Night (around 8:00 PM): Final Shape and Cold Proof
Lightly flour the top of the dough and flip it over. Gently stretch it into a rectangle. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the surface. Tightly roll the dough up into a log (for a bâtard) or fold the edges into the center to create a round (for a boule). Pinch the final seam closed.
Place the shaped loaf seam-side up in a well-floured banneton or a bowl lined with a kitchen towel. Cover it (a plastic bag works well) and place it in the refrigerator for a long, cold proof of 12-18 hours. This is where the magic happens and the deep sourdough flavors develop.
Day 2: Baking Your Masterpiece
Morning (around 9 AM): Preheat the Oven
Place a Dutch oven, with the lid on, into your oven. Preheat it to 500°F (260°C) for a full hour. Getting the Dutch oven screaming hot is essential for a good “oven spring.”
Morning (around 10 AM): Score and Bake
Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. Take your dough from the fridge. Flip it out onto a piece of parchment paper. Using a sharp razor blade or bread lame, score the top of the loaf. A single, confident slash down the length of the loaf is classic and allows for a beautiful “ear.”
Carefully lower the dough, on its parchment paper sling, into the hot Dutch oven. Put the lid back on and return it to the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 450°F (230°C).
Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. After 20 minutes, carefully remove the hot lid. The bread will have risen beautifully. Continue baking for another 20-25 minutes with the lid off, until the crust is a deep, dark brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
Morning (around 10:45 AM): The Agonizing Wait
Using oven mitts, carefully remove the loaf from the Dutch oven and place it on a wire cooling rack.
This is the hardest part of the entire process: you must let the bread cool completely before slicing. This can take at least 3-4 hours. Slicing into a hot sourdough loaf will result in a gummy, dense interior, as the crumb is still setting.
Savoring Your Creation
When the loaf has finally cooled, use a sharp, serrated bread knife to cut the first slice. The crust will shatter satisfyingly, revealing the soft, chewy, and fragrant interior.
This pumpkin chocolate chip sourdough bread is a treat unlike any other. It’s fantastic on its own, but toasting a slice brings it to another level, melting the chocolate chips into gooey pockets and making the crust even crispier. A thick slice slathered with good salted butter is pure, unadulterated heaven.
A Final Thought on Baking with the Seasons
Sourdough baking is a craft that teaches us patience and rewards us with something truly nourishing.
It connects us to an older way of doing things, a slower rhythm. This recipe is an invitation to embrace that rhythm and celebrate the flavors of the season in a new and exciting way.
I hope you find immense joy in the process of creating this loaf—from feeding your starter to that final, satisfying crackle of the crust. May your home be filled with the incredible scent of fall, and may you enjoy every last, delicious crumb.
