Every fall my feed fills up with those gorgeous round pumpkin loaves baked in a Dutch oven, and every fall I hear from bakers who love the look but bake their everyday sourdough in a loaf pan. This post is for you. Your loaf pan bread can become a pumpkin with nothing more than a few pieces of butcher’s twine, a second loaf pan flipped on top as a lid, and a few tricks I picked up after baking this loaf again this year and changing how I tie it.
It is the same dough I bake every week, so if you already make my Easy Sourdough Bread, there is nothing new to learn on the dough side. You can shape it as a round boule or an oval batard, tie it right in the pan, and pull out a festive loaf that still slices into sandwich sized pieces, with pumpkin ridges along every crust. The full recipe card below walks you through the whole process from mixing to the final cinnamon stick stem, so you never have to bounce between posts.
Table of Contents
- Why Bake Your Pumpkin in a Loaf Pan
- What I Changed This Year
- Shop This Recipe
- The Dough and the Pan Size
- How to Shape and Tie the Pumpkin
- Crisp Crust or Soft Crust
- Get the Recipe
- Tips for Clean Pumpkin Ridges
- Troubleshooting
- Decorating and Serving Ideas
- Yeast Version
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Pumpkin Bakes to Try
- Subscribe
Why Bake Your Pumpkin in a Loaf Pan
The double loaf pan method is how I bake most of my sourdough. One metal loaf pan holds the dough, and a second identical pan flipped upside down on top traps the steam the way a Dutch oven lid would, which gives you a tall loaf with good oven spring and a thin, crackly crust without needing to own or preheat a heavy pot.
That same setup turns out to be a great home for a pumpkin. The walls of the pan hold the loaf steady while you tie it, so the strings stay exactly where you put them, and the finished bread slices into the sandwich and toast sized pieces your family already uses all week. You get a centerpiece for the Thanksgiving table that still makes a turkey sandwich the next day.
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What I Changed This Year
I first shared this loaf last fall, and when I baked it again this year I tested a few things side by side so I could give you the version that actually works best rather than the one I happened to do first.
I tie the loaf after it is in the pan, not before. I tried it both ways: tying the pumpkin and tucking the parchment pieces under the strings on the counter and then moving it into the pan, and lowering the untied loaf into the pan first and doing all of the tying and tucking there. Tying in the pan won by a clear margin. When you move a loaf that is already tied, the strings and the parchment pieces shift as it drops in, and you lose the even sections you worked to set up. Tied in the pan, everything stays put.
Parchment strips go under every string. A thin strip of parchment between each string and the dough is what keeps the strings from baking into the crust, and it gives you crisp, clean ridges when the twine comes off. I first used this trick on my Sourdough Pumpkin Jack O Lantern Bread and now I would not skip it.
A light mist of water and a dusting of sweet rice flour. After the loaf is tied and the parchment strips are in, I mist the top with a spray bottle and tap sweet rice flour over it. The water helps the flour cling, and the pale dusting makes each pumpkin section and score stand out against the golden crust.
A few cuts around the base. Before the loaf goes into the pan, I like to score a few short lines around the bottom edge. If you forget, you can still do it once the loaf is tied by snipping the base of the dough with kitchen scissors along the long sides of the pan.
A longer bake with the lid on. Last year I baked this loaf for 20 minutes covered. This year I baked it the same 30 minutes covered that I use for my regular loaf pan sourdough, then 15 minutes uncovered, and the loaf came out taller with a thinner crust.
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Shop This Recipe
These are the tools I use for this loaf. I earn a small commission from these affiliate links at no extra cost to you, which helps support the blog and keeps the recipes coming.
- 10 x 5 x 3 inch metal loaf pans (two): The pair I use for the double pan method, one to bake in and one flipped on top as the lid.
- Banneton: Holds the shape of your boule or batard through the cold proof so it goes into the pan tall and taut. You can alternatively use a bowl and cotton towel. I like using these organic bowl liners with Tupperware containers I got at the dollar store!
- Butcher’s twine: Use 100 percent cotton twine, since synthetic string can melt in a hot oven.
- Bread lame: For the cuts around the base and the decorative scores in each section.
- Sweet rice flour: The dusting that makes the pumpkin sections stand out.
- Fine mist spray bottle: For misting the top of the loaf so the rice flour clings.
- Mesh tea ball: Filled with sweet rice flour, it taps out a fine, even dusting over the loaf.
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The Dough and the Pan Size
This pumpkin is my everyday sourdough, so the recipe card below includes the full dough from mixing to cold proof. It is a simple four ingredient loaf of bread flour, water, active starter, and salt, and it makes about 950 grams of dough. If you want the deeper walkthrough on reading your dough at each stage, the visual cues for bulk fermentation, and how to adjust for summer and winter kitchens, my Easy Sourdough Bread post covers all of that in detail.
Boule or batard, your choice. People ask me this every time I post this loaf, and the answer is that it truly does not matter. A round boule gives you a rounder, more classic pumpkin in the center of the pan, and an oval batard fills the length of the pan and gives you a longer pumpkin with more sandwich sized slices. I have tested both shapes and both work, because the loaf expands to fill the pan as it bakes. The loaves in these photos were both shaped as boules, so shape it whichever way you normally do, proof it in your banneton overnight, and the tying works the same.
Pan size matters more than shape. I bake my 950 gram loaf in a 10 x 5 x 3 inch pan, which gives the dough room to rise without spilling over the sides. If you are baking a smaller loaf than that, a standard 9 x 5 inch pan is the better fit, since a small loaf in a big pan spreads out instead of rising tall. Whichever size you use, both pans need to match so the top pan sits flush and holds in the steam.
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How to Shape and Tie the Pumpkin
The exact steps, times, and temperature are in the recipe card. This section is the why behind each step, because once you understand what the strings, the parchment, and the cuts are doing, you can make this loaf look good every single time.
Set up the strings before you flip. While the cold dough is still in the banneton, you lay parchment over it, lay three strings across it so they cross in the center like the spokes of a wheel, and top it with a second, larger piece of parchment that you shaped in the pan ahead of time. I press that larger sheet into the loaf pan, bending the corners in and pleating the edges so it takes on the shape of the pan, then lift it out and lay it over the strings before the flip. Three strings crossing in the middle give you six clear, even sections without crowding the top of the loaf. Setting them up while the dough is still held by the banneton means the spacing is even before you ever touch the loaf, and when you flip everything onto the counter the loaf lands top side up on the shaped parchment with the strings right where they need to be underneath it.
Cut around the base, then lower it into the pan. With the loaf turned out on the counter, a few short scores around the bottom edge are the last thing to do before it goes into the pan. Then lift the loaf by the shaped parchment and lower it into the loaf pan, strings and all. Because the parchment already holds the shape of the pan, it drops in and sits neatly against the sides instead of bunching up under the loaf.
Tie it in the pan. This is the change that made the biggest difference for me this year. With the loaf sitting in the pan, bring the strings up around it, keep the sections even, and tie them together at the center of the top. You want the strings snug enough to define each section but loose enough that they are only gently hugging the dough, because the loaf grows a lot in the oven and the strings tighten on their own as it does. Trim the ends so they do not dangle over the sides.
Tuck a parchment strip under each string. Slide a thin strip of parchment between each string and the dough. This keeps the strings from fusing into the crust and gives you smooth, clean ridges when you remove them.
Mist and dust. Mist the top of the loaf with your spray bottle, then tap sweet rice flour over it. I fill a small mesh tea ball with the rice flour and tap it over the loaf, which gives a fine, even layer without clumps, and the water underneath helps it cling.
Score each section. Score each section between the parchment strips. The scoring is optional, but I think it adds a little something. I score a wheat stalk design into each section. It is only a design, so you never score across the whole top of the loaf the way you would on a regular loaf. If you forgot the cuts around the base earlier, this is the moment to snip the base along the long sides of the pan with kitchen scissors.
Lid on and into the oven. Tuck any parchment that is sticking up down inside the pan so it does not scorch, set the second pan upside down on top, and bake. I skip the mid bake expansion score I do on my regular loaf pan sourdough, since the strings already guide how this loaf opens and the pumpkin looks cleaner without it.
Crisp Crust or Soft Crust
The pumpkin in these photos was baked the way I bake my regular loaf pan sourdough, covered for the first stretch so it rises tall in its own steam and then uncovered to brown. That gives you a thin, crisp crust that crackles as it cools, and the exact times are in the recipe card.
If your family prefers a softer crust for sandwiches, leave the lid on longer, up to 35 or 40 minutes, then remove it and bake just until the loaf is browned to your liking. The longer the lid stays on, the more steam the loaf bakes in and the thinner and softer the crust ends up. There is no wrong answer here, it is simply a matter of how you like your bread.
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Get the Recipe
Pumpkin Shaped Sourdough Bread in a Loaf Pan
Equipment
- Digital Kitchen Scale
- Large mixing bowl
- Flexible dough scraper
- Banneton with liner
- Two 10 x 5 x 3 inch metal loaf pans
- Parchment paper
- 100 percent cotton butcher's twine
- Kitchen scissors
- Bread lame or razor blade for scoring
- Fine mist spray bottle for rice flour sticking, optional
- Mesh tea ball or small sieve for applying rice powder, optional
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 75 g active sourdough starter 1/3 cup
- 350 g room temperature filtered water 1 1/2 cups
- 500 g bread flour 4 cups plus 3 tablespoons, spooned and leveled
- 10 g fine sea salt 1 3/4 teaspoons
- 15 g water for working in the salt 1 tablespoon
Pumpkin Shaping Ingredients
- Neutral oil or softened butter for greasing the twine optional
- Sweet rice flour for dusting the pumpkin top
- 1 cinnamon stick for the pumpkin stem
- optional sage leaves or rosemary for the leaves
Instructions
Mix and Bulk Ferment Instructions
- Combine the bread flour, starter, and 350g water in a large bowl and mix until a shaggy dough forms with no dry pockets of flour. Scrape down the sides, cover, and rest for 1 hour.
- Wet your hands, sprinkle the salt over the dough, and pour the 15g of water across the top. Starting at one corner, turn the dough under itself while kneading gently until the salt is fully worked in.
- Perform a set of stretch and folds: with wet hands, stretch one side of the dough up until you feel resistance and fold it to the opposite side, then rotate the bowl and repeat until all four sides are folded. Flip the dough smooth side up and cover. Repeat every hour for 3 hours.
- Leave the dough covered at room temperature until bulk fermentation is complete: grown by 50 to 70 percent, smooth and domed on top, jiggly when you shake the bowl, and springing back slowly when poked. This takes about 4 to 10 hours from mixing depending on your kitchen temperature.
Shape and Cold Proof Instructions
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gather the edges toward the center, flip it seam side down, and rotate it with cupped hands into a rough round. Rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Shape the dough into a tight boule or batard, either shape works for the pumpkin, and place it seam side up in a floured banneton.
- Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 48 hours.
Tie and Bake the Pumpkin Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the lower middle position.
- Press a large piece of parchment into one loaf pan, bending the corners in and pleating the edges so it takes the shape of the pan. Lift it out and set it aside.
- Cut three pieces of butcher’s twine, each long enough to wrap under the loaf and tie at the top with a few inches to spare. If you like, grease them lightly with oil or butter as insurance against sticking. Cut six thin strips of parchment for tucking under the strings.
- With the cold dough still in the banneton, lay a piece of parchment over it. Lay the three strings across the parchment so they cross in the center like the spokes of a wheel, marking out six even sections, then lay the parchment you shaped in the pan over the strings.
- Place one hand on top of the parchment and the other under the banneton, flip it over onto the counter in one quick motion, and lift off the banneton. The loaf is now top side up on the shaped parchment with the strings underneath.
- Score a few short cuts around the base of the loaf.
- Lift the loaf by the shaped parchment and lower it into the loaf pan.
- With the loaf in the pan, bring the strings up around it, keeping the sections even, and tie them together at the center of the top. Tie them snug enough to define each section but loose enough that they only gently hug the dough. Trim the ends.
- Tuck a thin strip of parchment between each of the six string lines and the dough.
- Mist the top of the loaf with water from the spray bottle and tap sweet rice flour over it, using a mesh tea ball or small sieve for an even layer.
- If you like, score a wheat stalk design into each section between the parchment strips. It is a design only, so do not score across the top of the loaf. If you skipped the cuts around the base, snip the base of the dough along the long sides of the pan with kitchen scissors.
- Tuck any parchment sticking up inside the pan and set the second loaf pan upside down on top as a lid.
- Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes, until deeply golden.
- Cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then lift out the loaf and remove the strings while it is still warm.
- Push the cinnamon stick into the center of the top as the stem. Cool completely, 3 to 4 hours, before slicing.
Notes
Tips for Clean Pumpkin Ridges
Most of what makes this loaf look polished comes down to the strings, so these are the details I would pay the most attention to.
String tension is everything. The question I get most often is how tight to tie it. Snug enough to have the dough and string touching with enough give to slide the parchment under, never so tight that it cuts in, since the loaf expands a lot during the bake and the strings press deeper on their own.
Use the parchment strips, and grease the twine if you like. The parchment strips are what make the strings slide away cleanly. Greasing the twine with a little oil or butter is optional, a bit of insurance in case a string ever catches on the dough.
Use only cotton twine. Synthetic string can melt in a 450°F oven, so check that yours is 100 percent cotton and made for cooking.
Remove the strings while the loaf is warm. Give it a few minutes out of the oven so you can handle it, then pull the strings. They come off much more easily while the bread is still warm than once it has fully cooled.
Add the stem last. A cinnamon stick pushed into the center where the strings were tied finishes the look. A small sage leaf tucked beside it is a pretty touch for the table.
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Troubleshooting
If your first pumpkin does not look quite like the photos, it is almost always one of these, and each one is an easy fix on the next loaf.
My strings cut too deep into the loaf. They were tied too tight. Tie them just snug enough to leave a gentle indent and let the oven spring do the rest.
The strings stuck to the bread. Make sure a parchment strip sits under every string. For extra insurance, you can also grease the twine with a little oil or butter before you lay it out.
The sections came out uneven. The strings likely shifted while the loaf was being moved. Lay out the strings evenly on the banneton, then do the tying itself only after the loaf is in the pan, so nothing moves once it is tied.
The loaf burst open on the sides. Score a few short cuts around the base before it goes into the pan, or snip the base with scissors along the sides of the pan before baking, so the loaf has a place to open.
The pumpkin sections are not well defined. The strings were probably tied too loosely. Snug them up a little more next time.
The bread did not rise much. This is usually a proofing or starter issue rather than the pumpkin shaping. My Easy Sourdough Bread post walks through the signs of a properly proofed loaf.
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Decorating and Serving Ideas
This loaf earns its spot as a centerpiece first and then goes right back to work as everyday bread for the rest of the week.
Scoring ideas: a wheat stalk design in each section like the loaves in these photos for a harvest look, or a carved face on the front section for Halloween.
As a centerpiece: set it out whole on the Thanksgiving or Halloween table, then slice it at the meal.
For sandwiches: the loaf pan shape gives you full sized slices, which are perfect for leftover turkey, cranberry, and brie.
For toast and French toast: the ridged crust gets extra crisp in a hot pan.
As a gift: wrap the whole loaf in a cotton bread bag with a ribbon around the stem.
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Yeast Version
If you do not bake with sourdough, the pumpkin technique works with a yeasted loaf too, since the shaping, tying, and double pan bake have nothing to do with how the dough is leavened. Use your favorite yeasted bread dough sized for your loaf pan, shape it into a boule or batard, and let it rise until it is puffy and springs back slowly when you press it. Yeasted dough rises much faster than sourdough and is softer to handle when it is warm, so chilling the shaped loaf briefly before you tie it makes the strings easier to place, and you should keep an eye on the bake since a yeasted loaf may brown sooner.
If you would like to start baking sourdough, my Minimal Waste Sourdough Starter guide takes you from flour and water to a bubbly starter ready for this loaf.
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Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions I get most about this loaf, so you can find your answer here without scrolling through the whole post.
Is this bread pumpkin flavored?
No, this is my regular sourdough shaped to look like a pumpkin. If you want pumpkin in the dough itself, try my Pumpkin Swirl Sourdough Bread or my Pumpkin Spice Latte Sourdough.
Should I shape a boule or a batard?
Either one works. A boule gives you a rounder pumpkin, and a batard gives you a longer one with more sandwich slices. Shape it however you normally do.
What size loaf pan should I use?
I bake my 950 gram loaf in a 10 x 5 x 3 inch pan. If your loaf is smaller, use a 9 x 5 inch pan. Both pans need to be the same size so the top one sits flush.
Do I have to use two loaf pans?
The second pan traps steam for a better rise and a thinner crust, so it gives the best result. If you only have one pan, you can tent it with foil shaped over the top of the pan for the covered part of the bake.
Why tie the loaf after it is in the pan?
I tested both ways, and moving a loaf that is already tied shifts the strings and the parchment strips as it drops into the pan. Tying it in the pan keeps every section even.
How do I keep the strings from sticking?
Tuck a thin strip of parchment under each string before you bake, and remove the strings while the loaf is still warm. Greasing the twine with a little oil or butter is optional, but it is good insurance in case a string ever catches.
Why score around the base?
A few short cuts around the bottom edge give the loaf a place to open as it rises. If you forget to do it before the loaf goes in the pan, snip the base with kitchen scissors along the long sides of the pan before baking.
How do I get a softer crust?
Bake with the lid on for 35 to 40 minutes, then remove it and bake just until browned. The longer the lid stays on, the softer and thinner the crust.
Do I have to score the sections?
No, the pumpkin shape comes from the strings. Scoring the sections is purely decorative.
How do I store it?
Once it has cooled completely, store it cut side down on a board or in a bread bag at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. For longer storage, slice it and freeze the slices with parchment between them for up to 3 months.
More Pumpkin Bakes to Try
If you are leaning all the way into pumpkin season, these are the bakes I would make next.
- Sourdough Croissant Pumpkins use the same twine trick on laminated dough.
- Sourdough Pumpkin Jack O Lantern Bread with Butter Candle is the round loaf version with a carved face.
- The Easiest Pumpkin Swirl Sourdough Bread puts real pumpkin inside the loaf.
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Sourdough for the latte lovers.
- Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Focaccia with Brown Butter Maple Glaze for a sweet fall centerpiece.
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice to keep on hand all season.
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