Your new fall favorite sourdough pumpkin chocolate chip bread is the perfect cozy fall bake. Using all real ingredients and natural leavening, it’s irresistibly delicious with the bites of chocolate throughout.
Why This Bread Is a New Fall Classic
This year’s pumpkin season just got an upgrade. If you’ve been around my kitchen for a while, you know I’m a sucker for cozy fall bakes, and this one might just be my new favorite. This Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread is the perfect blend of tangy sourdough, sweet pumpkin, warm spices, and melty chocolate chips. It’s soft, festive, and always a crowd-pleaser.
I first tossed together pumpkin, honey, and sourdough starter more for fun than anything; what turned up was better than I expected. The tang of fermented sourdough starter completely balances the pumpkin puree sweetness. Add warm pumpkin pie spices and the melt-in-your-mouth nod of chocolate chips, and you’ve got something that feels like dessert, feels like tradition, but is still the sourdough bread you love.
What I’ve Learned From Baking It Many Times
People made this loaf hundreds of times last season, including me and my family. I started swapping out my bread mix-ins, and the bread held up beautifully. It’s one of those recipes that is forgiving and flexible, yet deeply satisfying. Here are some of the things that make the difference between a good loaf and a truly great loaf:
Texture depends on starter health. Make sure your sourdough starter is well-fed and active. If it’s sluggish, your rise will suffer, and the crumb won’t be as open. If you have more questions about sourdough starters or sourdough bread, check these blog posts for FAQs.
Pumpkin puree brand matters. Even canned pumpkin varieties differ in hydration, color, and flavor. That’s why I highly recommend Libby’s canned pumpkin puree for the most consistent results. If your bread dough feels slack (very wet), it’s okay to hold back a little water. If the dough turned too dry, add a splash more of water. You want something workable but stretchy.
Mix-ins: timing & temperature. Chocolate chips should be cold so they don’t melt into the dough during shaping. If using nuts or pumpkin seeds, feel free to toast them lightly ahead of adding to the dough for flavor and crunch.
Spice intensity is personal. The pumpkin pie spice I use sends a warm, cozy note, but I always recommend starting off with less than more spice (easier to add then take away the spices). Some folks prefer it more cinnamon-forward; others like a touch more clove or nutmeg.
Proofing patience pays off. A slow, cooler proof near the end helps flavor develop and makes scoring easier. I personally like doing an overnight cold proofing in the fridge with my sourdough loaves, it usually makes the dough more forgiving.
A good knife is worth it. So many times I see people make this amazing loaf of homemade bread, only to use an old, sub-par knife and squish it! You’ve spent all the time; makes sure you have a knife that deserves you! I have been using this Misen one for years, and love it. I think we use it daily. USE CODE: LOSKITCHEN for 15% off!
FAQs
Can I make this without chocolate chips? Yes! Pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans, cinnamon chips, or even dried cranberries are all delicious swaps. Experiment with your mix-ins to find which ones you love the most.
What if I don’t have Libby’s pumpkin puree? Though I do recommend Libby’s pumpkin puree for this recipe, you can use homemade pumpkin puree or a different brand’s pumpkin puree, but know that each brand will result in slightly different texture so you may need to adjust the flour ratio to match the moisture of the puree.
How sweet is this bread? It’s not a dessert bread like quick pumpkin bread or muffins, it’s more of a cozy sourdough loaf with a touch of sweetness. The honey adds balance without being overpowering, and the chocolate chips give little pops of chocolatey goodness in each bite. If you want it more on the savory side, swap the chocolate for toasted nuts or pumpkin seeds.
What’s the best way to store this loaf? Like all sourdough breads, it keeps best wrapped in a reusable bread bag or wrapped in parchment paper and stored at room temperature. I also love storing it in a cake stand with a lid, which makes it equally as fun to display. It will stay fresh for 2–3 days, but after that, I recommend slicing it and freezing the slices in a freezer-safe bag. That way you can toast a slice straight from the freezer whenever the craving hits.
Can I double the recipe? I double the recipe all the time. Just be mindful that a larger batch means more dough to manage during stretch-and-folds and shaping. I usually recommend starting with one loaf, especially if you’re new to sourdough, but once you’ve got the rhythm, making two loaves at once is a great way to stock up or to have extra to share.
What kind of chocolate works best? I love semi-sweet chips or chunks for a balanced flavor, but you could go with dark chocolate if you want more intensity, or milk chocolate for extra sweetness. If you chop up a chocolate bar instead of using chips, you’ll get beautiful little ribbons of melted chocolate running through the crumb. Just keep the chocolate cold before mixing it in to avoid premature melting.
Do I have to use a Dutch oven? No, but it really helps create that artisan-style crust by trapping steam. If you don’t have one, you can bake on a baking stone or sheet pan and place a tray with ice cubes in the bottom of the oven to create steam. The crust won’t be quite as blistery, but the flavor will still be wonderful.
What’s the trick to knowing when my loaf is proofed enough? Pumpkin dough can be a little deceiving since it feels heavier. Look for the dough to nearly double in size, feel airy, and jiggle slightly when you shake the bowl. If you poke it gently with your finger, the indentation should slowly spring back. If it springs back too quickly, it needs more time. If it doesn’t spring back at all, it may be over-proofed, but you should bake it anyway, it will still taste great!
Does the pumpkin flavor come through strongly? It’s more subtle than you might expect. Pumpkin doesn’t taste overly pumpkin-y on its own; it’s really the pumpkin spice that bring out the fall flavor. The puree makes the crumb tender and adds a beautiful golden color. The pumpkin pie spice is what really signals “fall” when you take a bite.
Timing Suggestion #1
You can of course adapt this outline to however it fits your day and lifestyle, but here is an outline of what a schedule could look like:
DAY 1:
9:00 PM: Feed sourdough starter
DAY 2:
8:00 AM: Mix the dough
8:30 AM: Stretch & fold #1 (optional; see recipe for immediate kneading approach)
9:00 AM: Stretch & fold #2
9:30 AM: Stretch & fold #3
Finish rise
12:00 PM: Shape the dough; place covered in fridge overnight…
OR rest for ~1 hour, then bake same day.
DAY 3:
8:00 AM: Bake
Timing Suggestion #2
DAY 1:
8:00 PM: Feed sourdough starter
6:00 PM: Mix the dough
6:30 AM: Stretch & fold #1 (optional; see recipe for immediate kneading approach)
7:00 AM: Stretch & fold #2
7:30 AM: Stretch & fold #3
Finish rise
10:00 PM: Shape the dough; place covered in fridge
DAY 3:
8:00 AM: Bake
If you loved this recipe…
You should try one of these bread recipes if you loved this sourdough pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipe!
Pumpkin Streusel Bread (with brown sugar maple glaze)
Chocolate Chip Brioche (Chocolate Cramique)
Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Ingredients
- 100 grams fed active sourdough starter
- 140 grams Libby’s pumpkin puree
- 30 grams honey
- 275 grams water , add more or less to touch
- 2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 500 grams bread flour
- 10 grams salt
- 6 oz. (About 1 cup) mix-ins chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, or nuts!
Instructions
- Prepare Leaven: About 6-10 hours before you want to start making the dough, feed your sourdough starter. I feed mine as follows: 25 grams starter + 50 grams unbleached flour + 50 grams filtered water. Loosely cover and set aside.
- Dough: When leaven is ready, mix together the water, honey and pumpkin puree. Then add the flour and salt. Mix together until incorporated and all the flour is mixed in. Add in the mix-ins* last. The dough will look and feel sticky and shaggy.
- For a quick knead approach: Knead the dough for about 8 minutes, then set aside for about 4 hours until about doubled in size, and nice and bubbly. For traditional slow knead approach: stretch and fold the dough 3 times (spread apart each time by 20-30 minutes). One stretch and fold is done by pulling each corner of the dough over each other, then rounding off into a nice round ball. Let it rest untouched for the remaining 2 hours of the rise time (About 4 hours from mixing the dough).
- Shaping: After a long rest, the dough should be risen and have bubbles on top of the dough. Using your hands or a bowl scraper, scoop out your dough onto a clean work surface. Resist the urge to add much flour, if any. Flour can actually make the shaping step more slippery and trickier. A little stick is okay.
- Time to shape. View your ball of dough as having 4 corners. Using a bench scraper or your hands, pull in each corner to gather into a round ball, creating a seam on top. Turn it over so the seam is now on the table and with your hands, continue to gently reinforce the round shape, by cupping your hands around the dough, and turning it several times to create tension on top of the dough.
- Rest: Place the dough ball on a proofing basket seam side up, or on a piece of parchment paper seam side down and then transfer it to a bowl to rest. Both of these items help it rest and keep its shape, but if either of those are unavailable, you can just let it rest on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Cover and place immediately in the fridge for an overnight rest, or cover with plastic wrap or a light towel and let the dough rest for about 60 minutes. Meanwhile, place your dutch oven in your oven and preheat to 500° F. If you don't have a dutch oven, you can cook on a baking sheet or baking stone, the exterior of the bread just may be less crusty.
- Baking: After its rested and risen slightly, place in your dutch oven. If you wish, you can keep the bread on the parchment paper and transfer it over that way. I also like using a reusable bread mat/sling when transferring dough in and out of the dutch oven. It also makes it easier to remove the bread when finished as well. You can score the bread into a design before putting into the oven but you don't have to.
- Once the bread is in the oven, immediately turn down the temperature to 450°. Bake with the lid on for 25 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for an additional 8-12 minutes, or until it gets a nice golden finished color. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
- Storing: This bread stores wonderfully. You can wrap it airtight and leave on the counter for a few days or you can wrap it up and store it in the freezer for a few months. Just let it thaw at room temperature, cover with foil, and let it reheat in the oven before serving for best results.
