Name: Pumpkin Shaped Sourdough Bread Loaf
Prep time: 240 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1370 min
Ingredients: 1 sourdough bread recipe

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Learn how to make a pumpkin shaped sourdough bread loaf with this easy tutorial. These sourdough pumpkins are the cutest thing! And they’re actually very easy to make, using your favorite sourdough artisan bread recipe.

Why I Love This Bread for Fall

Ever since I first laid eyes on one of these adorable pumpkin-shaped bread loaves, I knew I had to make one. After I made my first one, several readers asked me to share a tutorial for how to make it. And it has only taken me a year to start working on that project! Better late than never, right?

I love that these sourdough pumpkin-shaped boules look so elaborate, but they’re actually super simple. I use my easy sourdough bread recipe and then just turn it into a pumpkin shape instead of a round shape. If you have your own recipe that you’re already comfortable with, it’s easy to use for this project.

This sourdough bread shaped like a pumpkin is perfect for decorating your fall table for a special meal! Even though this isn’t a pumpkin-flavored bread (it’s just pumpkin-shaped), it’s still a way to make your everyday bread a little more special.

How to Make a Pumpkin Shaped Sourdough Bread Loaf Overview

Here’s an overview of the easy step-by-step instructions for how to make a pumpkin shaped sourdough bread loaf. Scroll down a bit to see the detailed instructions with how-to photos. Find the full instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1: Mix the sourdough bread dough, do four sets of stretch and folds, and allow the dough to bulk ferment for 8-10 hours or overnight.

Step 2: After the bulk fermentation time is up, and the dough has doubled in size, shape the dough into a ball and put into a floured banneton basket covered with plastic wrap. Put dough in refrigerator for 3-12 hours.

Step 3: Remove dough from the refrigerator and lay kitchen twine over the dough to make 8 sections to give it a pumpkin shape. Flip the dough over onto a piece of parchment paper and remove from the banneton basket. Tie the string at the top of the dough. Score the dough and put in a Dutch oven to bake.

Step 4: Bake the dough for the time required (my recipe takes 50 minutes).

Step 5: When baking time is up, remove the pumpkin shaped sourdough bread from the Dutch oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Remove the strings from the bread and add a cinnamon stick to the top for a pumpkin stem.

pumpkin shaped sourdough bread with orange mini pumpkin and lit candle

Pumpkin-Shaped Sourdough Bread Notes

You’ll need a mature starter to make this sourdough pumpkin shaped bread. If you don’t have a starter yet, learn how to make sourdough starter.
Make sure your dough is cold before attempting to tie the twine around it and score it.
This easy sourdough bread recipe is the one I use to make this bread, but feel free to use another similar recipe.

dutch oven, parchment paper, kitchen twine, bread lame on marble counter

Affiliate links included below, which means I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my disclosure here.

Equipment

Step-by-Step Instructions with Photos

Make the Dough

1. First, you’re going to mix the bread dough. I use this easy sourdough bread recipe for this pumpkin shaped sourdough bread. Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix together. Let the dough rest for an hour and then do four sets of stretches and folds.

Allow the dough to bulk ferment for 8-10 hours or overnight. After the bulk fermentation time is up, and the dough has doubled in size, shape the dough into a ball and put into a floured banneton basket covered with plastic wrap or beeswax wrap. Put the dough into the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours (or overnight) for the final proofing period.

2. After the final proof in the refrigerator, preheat the oven to the temperature called for in the recipe (mine calls for 450 degrees F) with the Dutch oven inside the oven so that they preheat together. (You can also make this bread without preheating the oven, as I describe in my sourdough bread recipe instructions.)

Make the Pumpkin Shape

3. Cut 4 pieces of kitchen twine about 40″ long and set aside. Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to fit inside your Dutch oven with extra on the sides so you can easily get your bread into and out of the hot pan. Set the parchment paper aside for now.

4. Remove your cold dough from the refrigerator and uncover it. Sprinkle a bit of flour on the top of the dough. Lay the pieces of string over the top of the dough and allow it to drape over the edges of the banneton basket.

sourdough bread dough in banneton with kitchen twine dividing it into sections

The strings should be crossing each other, dividing the dough into 8 sections.

floured dough in banneton basket with kitchen twine draped over it

5. Place a piece of parchment paper over the top of the dough and the banneton basket. Using your hand or a cutting board, flip the basket over onto the parchment paper. Carefully remove the banneton so that the dough is now on the parchment paper with the strings on the bottom.

upside down banneton basket on parchment paper with dough underneath

6. Flour the top of the dough (use all purpose flour or rice flour for this) and then tie the strings together at the top of the loaf. Be careful not to pull too tight on the strings, or the dough will have difficulty expanding.

sourdough tied with twine to make eight sections for pumpkin shape

Trim off any extra string at the top.

trimming kitchen twine from sourdough pumpkin loaf

Score the Dough

7. Score your dough using a razor blade or bread lame. Remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven and carefully lower your scored bread dough into the pot.

Hint: Make sure your razor blade is sharp before you score! I was in a hurry and didn’t check mine first, and you can see in the photo above that the blade is dragging through the dough. This is what happens when you score with a dull blade. I ended up with large bare fall trees instead of the delicate branches I was aiming for! I like to think of them more like Scandinavian folk art-inspired trees instead of the oops that they actually were. 🙂

Bake the Sourdough Pumpkin

8. Bake for the length of time your recipe calls for (my recipe takes about 50 minutes).

pumpkin shaped sourdough loaf in dutch oven on parchment

9. After the cook time is up, check on your loaf of bread. It should be golden brown. If not, give it another 5-10 minutes or so without the lid.

baked pumpkin shaped sourdough bread in dutch oven

Cool and Decorate with a Cinnamon Stick

When it’s done, remove the pumpkin shaped sourdough bread from the Dutch oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

pumpkin shaped sourdough bread loaf with cinnamon stick inserted in top for pumpkin stem

10. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, and then remove the twine and add a cinnamon stick to the top for a stem. Enjoy!

More Sourdough and Pumpkin Recipes

If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please leave a comment with a 5-star recipe rating and let me know! Thank you!