Sweet Sourdough Pumpkin Focaccia

This Sourdough Pumpkin Focaccia is not your typical savoury bake. Instead, it's a soft, fluffy, dessert sourdough focaccia layered with spiced sugar and drizzled in icing - the perfect way to celebrate pumpkin season. Think of it as part bread, part cake, with all the cosy autumn vibes baked right in. If you've been looking for a pumpkin pie-inspired sourdough focaccia that doubles up as a sweet treat, this recipe is for you.

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Pumpkin and Sourdough: The Autumnal Duo

Pumpkin brings moisture, sweetness and a mellow earthiness that pairs beautifully with the subtle tang of sourdough. Together they create a loaf with gorgeous colour, a tender crumb, and depth of flavour that only gets better as it cools. 

This is one of those sourdough recipes that showcases the best flavours of autumn - spiced sugar, golden crust, and warm pumpkin pie seasoning. If you love this bake, you'll want to try even more pumpkin sourdough recipes.

Ingredient Notes

• Bread flour. Choose strong flour with at least 12% protein for good gluten development. All-purpose flour can work, but the foaccia will be less airy as the dough won't trap large gas bubbles. 
• Pumpkin purée. Homemade pumpkin puree or tinned works. If using homemade, drain excess moisture with a paper towel first. Don't substitute with pumpkin pie filling - it contains sugar and spices.
• Active sourdough starter. Use a bubbly starter at 100% hydration, at peak activity for the best rise. 
• Olive oil. It softens the crumb. Avoid strong-tasting olive oil. 
• Salt. Essential in bread baking to balance sweetness and strengthen gluten.
• Brown sugar & pumpkin spice. The filling brings sweetness and spice. Mixed spice (UK) works well if you don't have pumpkin pie spice.
• Icing sugar, milk, butter & vanilla bean paste. The glaze is flexible: swap milk for cream cheese icing or use maple syrup for an autumnal twist.

Tips for Best Sourdough Focaccia

💧 Expect a sticky dough. Focaccia dough is known for high hydration, and the pumpkin adds extra moisture, so the dough will feel more hydrated than a regular sourdough bread. Resist adding too much extra flour.

🔁 Do the coil folds. Coil folds during bulk fermentation will transform the shaggy dough into a smooth ball with structure. Use a damp hand to prevent sticking.

⏳ Be guided by the dough rise. Depending on the dough temperature and your kitchen's warmth, bulk fermentation may take 4-7 hours. Look for bubbles on the side of the dough and a gentle jiggle at the top of the dough.

🫒 Handle with care after cold proof. When shaping on day two, use a bench scraper or wet hands to move the dough to the baking tray and try not to knock out the air. If you do, allow more time for the second rise. 

👆 Dimple deeply. Use oiled fingers when dimpling in the butter and sugar topping before baking. This helps create little pockets of caramelised flavour.

🔥 Bake in the centre of the oven. This ensures even colour. You're aiming for golden brown edges and a soft, fluffy middle.

🥖 Cool on a wire rack. Let the focaccia rest before icing, unless you love messy hands from dripping glaze (we do!). 

Baker's Timeline

Day 1

• 8:00 - Feed starter (1:1:1 ratio).
• 12:00 - Mix dough in large bowl, rest 30 minutes.
• 12:30-15:30 - Perform 2-3 sets of coil folds every 30 minutes, then leave to finish bulk fermentation.
• 16:00 - Transfer to fridge, covered with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap, for cold proof (8-24 hours).

Day 2

• 9:00 - Prepare baking sheet by lining it with a piece of parchment paper and olive oil.
• 9:10 - Add spiced sugar filling, fold, transfer to a baking dish.

• 9:20 - Cover with shower cap, damp towel or cling film, leave to proof in warm spot (1-2 hours).
• 11:00 - Drizzle with butter, sprinkle sugar, dimple the top of the dough.
• 11:15 - Bake at 200°C for 20-22 minutes.
• 11:45 - Cool on wire rack, then glaze and enjoy.

Variations

• Spice Swap. Use cinnamon with a pinch of nutmeg instead of pumpkin spice for a more classic flavour. Or make our Sourdough Cinnamon Focaccia instead.
• Maple Icing. Replace milk in the glaze with maple syrup for extra autumn sweetness.
• Nutty Filling. Add finely chopped pecans or walnuts to the brown sugar mixture for crunch and depth.
• Savoury Version. Try our Sourdough Pumpkin Focaccia With Herbs De Provence.

Or if you'd like something softer and less chewy, try our Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting.

Serving Suggestions

This sweet sourdough focaccia is best enjoyed slightly warm with the icing still a little runny - it makes the experience wonderfully messy. Serve this sweet pumpkin bread with a hot cup of coffee, or cool to room temperature and slice into smaller squares for a crowd-pleasing dessert.

Storage

Room temperature: Store cooled focaccia in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Freezing: Freeze uniced focaccia wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature, then glaze before serving.

More Sweet Sourdough Focaccia Recipes

If you love experimenting with focaccia recipes, there are plenty of ways to make them sweet. From fruit-topped variations to spiced sugar fillings, dessert sourdough focaccia is a great way to take a classic and give it a seasonal twist.

Sourdough Pumpkin Focaccia

This Sourdough Pumpkin Focaccia is not your typical savoury bake. Instead, it's a soft, fluffy, dessert sourdough focaccia swirled with spiced sugar and drizzled in icing - the perfect way to celebrate pumpkin season. Think of it as part bread, part cake, with all the cosy autumn vibes baked right in. If you've been looking for a pumpkin pie-inspired sourdough focaccia that doubles up as a sweet treat, this recipe is for you.

5 from 11 votes

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Prep Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Fermenting and Proofing 18 hours hrs

Total Time 21 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, Sourdough, Worldwide

Servings 9 portions

Calories 186 kcal

Equipment

• Stand Mixer Fitted with A Dough Hook Attachment
• 24x24cm Baking Dish
• Parchment Paper

Ingredients

  

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For Sourdough Focaccia Dough:

• 225 g strong bread flour with at least 12% protein content
• 5 g salt
• 100 g water
• 100 g pumpkin puree
• 100 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
• 15 ml olive oil

For Spiced Sugar Filling:

• 50 g brown sugar
• ¾ tablespoon pumpkin pie spice or mixed spice (UK)
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled

For The Icing:

• 50 g icing sugar a.k.a. powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

 

DAY 1

• First thing in the morning, feed your sourdough starter and leave it in a warm spot to at least double in volume. We typically feed our starter in a ratio of 1 part starter: 1 part water: 1 part flour, and it doubles (or even triples) within 4 hours.

Mixing The Dough

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour and salt. Add water, pumpkin puree and active sourdough starter. Mix the dough in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment for a few minutes on low speed until a rough dough forms.
• Drizzle the olive oil all over, and run the mixer again on medium speed until well incorporated. The oil will split into layers first, but the dough will come together within 5-8 minutes of mixing.

Coil Folds, Bulk Fermentation, Cold Proof

• Scoop the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the dough with a damp tea towel or cling film (plastic wrap) and leave it in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
• Over the next 3 hours, at 30-minute intervals, perform a set of coil folds, using wet hands.
• After all 6 sets of coil folds are completed, cover the dough and let it finish its bulk fermentation undisturbed for 1.5-3 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
• Place the dough in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours (or simply overnight).

DAY 2:

• The next day, line a baking tray (approx 24x24cm) with parchment paper, and brush it with a little olive oil.

Sugar Filling:

• In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and pumpkin spice (mixed spice in UK). It may look like a lot, but remember, we haven't added any sugar to the dough itself.

Second Proof, Filling and Final Proof:

• Spritz clean kitchen surface with plenty of water (this will prevent the dough from sticking to the surface. Take the focaccia sourdough out of the fridge. Very carefully transfer the dough onto the sprayed surface, trying not to deflate it too much. Stretch it out slightly.
• Sprinkle half of the spiced sugar across one half of the dough.
• Fold the other half of the dough over the filling and pinch the edges together.
• In a swift motion, transfer the dough into the prepared baking tray (Please see video below for visual instructions). Tug on the edges of the dough to stretch the dough out to fill the baking tray.
• Cover it with a sheet of cling film (plastic wrap) resting on the rims of the baking tray and leave the dough in a warm spot for its second proof for 1-2 hours.
• After the second rise, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
• Melt the butter and leave it to cool down to body temperature.
• Drizzle the butter over the surface of the dough, then dimple the dough with your fingers.
• Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture on top.

Baking and Cooling:

• Place your sourdough pumpkin focaccia in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes.
• Once baked, let it firm up in the tray for 5-10 minutes, then lift it out by the overhanging parchment paper, and place it on a wire rack. Slice the parchment paper out from underkneath and allow the focaccia to cool down (we like it slightly warm with dripping icing, but if you want the icing to set, you'll need to cool your focaccia to roomtemeprature before icing).

Icing:

• In the meantime, prepare the icing by mixing icing sugar, vanilla bean paste, a pinch of salt and milk together and stirring to a smooth paste.
• Drizzle your sourdough pumpkin focaccia with the icing and tuck in!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 186kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 4gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 220mgPotassium: 62mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 1812IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Fall Sourdough Focaccia, Pumpkin Pie Sourdough Focaccia, Pumpkin Sourdough Focaccia, Sourdough Pumpkin Focaccia, Sweet Sourdough Focaccia

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