A perfect seasonal bake for all sourdough lovers, this sourdough fougasse is shaped like a leaf, and is made with pumpkin puree! With a subtle pumpkin flavour, extra crusty crust and that irresistible orange colour of the crumb, this French pumpkin fougasse is sure to impress!
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Perfect Sourdough Recipes For Autumn
Autumn is all about pumpkins and apples, right? And we love embracing the flavours of the season with our favourite recipes. Some of our most cherished apple recipes are made using sourdough, like Apple and Cinnamon Sourdough Buns and Sourdough Apple Doughnuts! But we also love Apple Crumble Cheesecake and Apple & Blueberry Crumble!
If you are a pumpkin lover, make sure to try our Pumpkin Cheesecake and Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies. Or, for those looking for a healthier treat, head to our Refined Sugar-Free Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins!
Why You Will Love Pumpkin Fougasse
- Autumnal Delight: Perfect for the fall season with the flavour of pumpkin.
- Beautiful Presentation: Shaped like a leaf, it’s a stunning addition to your table.
- Versatile Shapes: Get creative and shape it for Halloween-themed fun.
- Endless Toppings: Experiment with various toppings for a unique twist.
- Great for Sharing: An excellent sharing bread for gatherings and family meals.
- Pairing Possibilities: Complements soups, stews, dips, or simple oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Sourdough Flavor: The sourdough base adds depth to the pumpkin’s sweetness.
- Unique Twist: A fresh take on traditional fougasse with a seasonal twist.
- Homemade Goodness: Enjoy the satisfaction of baking it yourself.
- Seasonal Nourishment: Filling and flavorful, ideal for cozy autumn days.
Ingredients
- active sourdough starter: 100% hydration, fed and bubbly.
- pumpkin puree: not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling. If your puree is extremely thin or has some liquid separated at the bottom, make sure to drain the puree first.
- strong bread flour: with gluten content of no less than 12%.
- clear honey: can be replaced with maple syrup, agave nectar or simply sugar.
- salt.
You may also want some salt flakes and dried herbs for the topping, as well as olive oil for brushing.
Method
Pumpkin fougasse is made over two days.
Day 1
Feed your sourdough starter and leave it in a warm spot to at least double in size, but make sure to use it before it starts deflating.
In a bowl of your stand mixer, add the flour and pumpkin puree.
In a medium bowl, mix the water and honey together until the honey dissolves. Add the sourdough starter and mix to combine.
Pour the sourdough mixture into the flour.
Run your mixer on low speed for a couple of minutes, just enough to combine the ingredients, then cover the bowl with a teatowel and leave the dough to autolyse/ fermentolyse for 1 hour.
Do I Have To Autolyse?
Well, you don’t! But we highly recommend that you do! This high-hydration dough will be a lot easier to work with, and the texture of your fougasse will improve. Read more about autolyse/ fermentolyse process and benefits!
After an hour, add the salt. Run the mixer for approximately 10 minutes on medium speed, until the dough looks elastic and slightly shiny.
Scoop the dough into a shallow, lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp towel or cling film.
For the next 2 hours, every 30 minutes, perform a set of coil folds (see video below).
After 4 sets of folds, leave the fougasse dough undisturbed in a warm spot for 2-3 hours, until almost doubled in size.
Place the dough in the fridge to finish proofing overnight (or up to 48 hours).
Coil Fold Video
Baking Day
On the day of baking, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and brush it with a thin layer of oil. Take the dough out of the fridge and scoop it out onto the baking sheet.
Using your hands, stretch it out into a rectangle (the dough should be no thicker than 1.5 cm). If it shrinks back, leave it for 10 minutes, and stretch it out again.
Using oiled scissors or a sharp knife, cut down the middle keeping both ends intact. Make 3 diagonal cuts on each side of the middle cut (see photos below). Using oiled fingers, stretch the cuts wider, so they don’t close up when proofing or baking.
Cover the shaped fougasse loosely with an oiled sheet of cling film and leave it to proof in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, until risen by about half.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220°C Fan. Place a small ovenproof dish with water at the bottom of the oven to create steam. It will make sure you have crusty fougasse.
Remove the cling film from the dough, sprinkle fougasse with dried herbs and salt flakes and bake in the centre of the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Leave the bread on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
What To Serve Sourdough Pumpkin Fougasse With?
Serve Pumpkin Fougasse with soups, stews, rattatouilles and more. We personally have this French bread with Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup or Vegan Creamy Cauliflower Soup. We also love this pumpkin bread with a hearty Cuban Beef Stew or Three Bean Chilli.
You can also serve crusty fougasse with dips, like Lebanese Hummus or Beetroot Dip. And you must try this bread with Baked Camembert – it’s a great match!
Sourdough Pumpkin Fougasse Bread
Equipment
- Stand Mixer Fitted With Dough Hook Attachment
Ingredients
- 100 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 100 g pumpkin puree
- 225 g strong bread flour
- 100 ml water
- 10 g clear honey
- 5 g salt
Instructions
- In a bowl of your stand mixer, add the flour and pumpkin puree.
- In a medium bowl, mix the water and honey together until honey dissolves. Add the sourdough starter and mix to combine.
- Pour the sourdough mixture into the flour.
- Run your mixer on low speed for a couple of minutes, just enough to combine the ingredients, then cover the bowl with a teatowel and leave the dough to autolyse/fermentolyse for 1 hour.
- After an hour, add the salt. Run the mixer for approximately 10 minutes on medium speed, until the dough looks elastic and slightly shiny.
- Scoop the dough into a shallow, lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp towel or cling film.
- For the next 2 hours, every 30 minutes, perform a set of coil folds (see video in the text above).
- After 4 sets of folds, leave the fougasse dough undisturbed in a warm spot for 2-3 hours, until almost doubled in size.
- Place the dough in the fridge to finish proofing overnight (or up to 48 hours).
BAKING DAY:
- On the day of baking, line a large baking sheet with parchemnt paper, and brush it with a thn layer of oil. Take dough out of the fridge and scoop it out onto the baking sheet.
- Using your hands, stretch it our into a rectangle (the dough should be no thicker than 1.5 cm). If it shrinks back, leave it for 10 minutes, and streych it out again.
- Using oiled scizzors or a sharp knife, cut down the middle keeping both ends in tact. Make 3 diagonal cuts on each side of the middle cut (see photos in the text above). Using oiled fingers, stretch the cuts wider, so they don't close up when proofing or baking.
- Cover the shaped fougasse loosely with an oiled sheet of cling film and leave it to proof in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, until risen by about half.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220°C Fan. Place a small ovenproof dish with water at the bottom of the oven to create steam. It will make sure you have crusty fougasse.
- Remove the cling film from the dough, sprinkle fougasse with dried herbs and salt flakes and bake in the centre of the oven for 15-18 minutes.
- Leave the bread on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Holley
I really enjoyed making this recipe recipe! The end result was so pretty and delicious!
Ieva Greber
Love to have you on our sourdough baking journey, Holley! Thanks for trying another one of our recipes 🙂
Tara
Such a gorgeous fougasse! I love that shaping and the color from the pumpkin. Yum!
Ashley
This bread is unlike anything I’ve ever made with my sourdough starter before – in the best way! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Ieva Greber
So glad you tried this recipe! It’s great, isn’t it? And we love how versatile fougasse is too!