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.
Equipment
- 24x24cm Baking Dish
Ingredients
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
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!