Julie Clark
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Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread
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A delicious way to use up sourdough discard! This soft Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread recipe with cinnamon sugar topping makes two loaves. This quick bread will satisfy your fall baking cravings!
A few weeks ago a reader on Instagram asked if we had a sourdough discard pumpkin bread recipe. We didn’t, but at that point I was questioning why.
A few weeks ago we had tweaked our zucchini bread recipe to use our sweet Amish sourdough starter. But for this recipe we used traditional sourdough starter discard. And the results were amazing. You’re going to fall in love with this sourdough pumpkin bread recipe!
Why you’ll love this sourdough discard recipe:
- uses up sourdough discard
- quick bread that requires no rise time
- intense pumpkin spice flavor
- soft texture
- cinnamon sugar topping
- makes two loaves and the bread will freeze well
What is sourdough discard?
You can read our complete sourdough guide, but once you start making sourdough, you either have to bake with it or discard part of the start or it will keep growing. In order to not be wasteful, you can make recipes with the sourdough discard. These discard recipes use other leavening agents (baking powder, baking soda or yeast) to get a rise in the baked good.
Want pumpkin bread but don’t have sourdough starter? Make my grandma’s pumpkin bread!
Tips for Making Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread
- Use pure pumpkin puree. NOT canned pumpkin pie filling.
- The sourdough starter does NOT have to be active. If it is a little active, it will be fine to use, but it can be sourdough discard. Notice in the recipe I gave the weight of the starter I used in grams so you can get an accurate measurement, whether there are bubbles in the starter or not. You can see here it is a very liquidy starter, not stretchy and bubbly.
- Add more spices if you’d like! We used two nice size tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice to keep it easy. If you add any more spice, try cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves or allspice.
- Whisk the wet ingredients separately from the dry ingredients. Then combine the two and mix only until combined. Do not overmix the bread batter or it will be tough when it bakes.
- This will bake for 60-70 minutes. Sometimes it is tricky to know if quick bread is done all the way through or not. If you have an internal probe thermometer, the internal temperature should be 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Recipe Variations
Use this easy sourdough discard pumpkin bread recipe as a springboard for other ideas. Add chocolate chips, homemade cinnamon chips, pepitas, powdered sugar glaze or even a cream cheese frosting.
Even raisins, walnuts or pecans can be a welcome addition.
In this recipe we simply added a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar to the top of the batter before baking. This gives just a little extra sweetness to each bite. And its even more delicious when slathered with warm cinnamon butter.
Other Sourdough Discard Recipes
Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread
A delicious way to use up sourdough discard! This soft Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread recipe with cinnamon sugar topping makes two loaves.
Servings 20
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Equipment
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil or canola or coconut oil, 6 ounces
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 10 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 1 cup packed brown sugar 210 grams
- 2 cups pure pumpkin puree 500 grams
- 1 cup sourdough starter discard 231 grams
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 405 grams
- 1 teaspoon salt 5 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 5 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 grams
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice 16 grams
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 grams
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon 8 grams
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray 2 8.5” x 4.5” loaf pans with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper if desired for easy removal of the bread.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, eggs, vanilla, sugar and pumpkin. Mix well. ¾ cup vegetable oil, 3 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 2 cups pure pumpkin puree
- Fold in the starter. 1 cup sourdough starter discard
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice. Mix just until combined.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans.
- Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the batter. ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- Bake for 60-70 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Internal temperature should be 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cool until the bread loosens from the pan evenly and turn onto a serving dish or wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
- This bread freezes well. Allow it to fully thaw in the container before opening it to preserve freshness.
Nutrition
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 187mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 3853IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg
This was the easiest and most delicious pumpkin bread that I have ever made! I did one loaf and 12 muffins. I would LOVE to try different variations for all seasons- how could I remove the pumpkin to make this into a regular cinnamon loaf- similar to a coffee cake?
I followed the recipe as written, with the exception that my can of pumpkin was only 15.5 ounces instead of 16 ounces. I always save my sourdough discard in a closed quart mason jar in the refrigerator. I used it cold straight out of the refrigerator. I only have two loaf pans, one metal and the other glass. Baking time for the metal pan was 60 minutes and 70 minutes for the glass pan. The pumpkin bread turned out perfectly.
Love this recipe … added some cardamom…even varied the topping on this last bake…I make these as muffins and get 18 nice size muffins. I converted the flour and sugar into grams and I have consistent bakes with using the weight … my go to oil is coconut
I was really excited about this recipe, but unfortunately this bread is incredibly bland!
Sounds delicious! I need to redo my starter and I always struggle with what to do with the discard. This is brilliant! I’m disappointed I forgot to pick up more pumpkin yesterday when we got groceries! Having my husband grab a can after work tonight! 😋
Is there a good time to add in the brown sugar? I don’t see it in the instructions!
This was delicious! I made 6 small loaves to have for gifts and was able to taste one I kept for myself. Will definitely make again! So moist and flavorful. I reduced the sugar to ¾ cup each of white and brown and added dried cranberries to half and white and semi-sweet chocolate chips to the other three.
The pumpkin bread was amazing! I made it this morning and one loaf is almost gone.
The only thing I would change next time is the amount of cinnamon sugar. A bunch fell off when removing from the pan and there would have been enough with half as much.
My sourdough discard has been in the fridge a few days, am I able to use that or does it need to be bubbly and active?
Is there a reason why you just don’t give weight measurements for all ingredients? Would be much more consistent that way. Thanks.