Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Sourdough Focaccia
Soft pumpkin sourdough focaccia pinched into balls, dunked in vanilla butter, rolled in a brown sugar pumpkin pie spice coating, and baked together until the bottom caramelizes. Real pumpkin goes right into the lightly sweet dough, and the whole pan is finished with a warm brown butter maple glaze that tastes like the coziest part of fall.
Calories: 190kcal
Equipment
- Large bowl or straight sided dough container
- spatula
- 9x13 baking pan
- Parchment paper
- 2 small bowls for dipping
- Small light colored saucepan
- Whisk
- Instant read thermometer
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Sourdough Dough
- 500 g bread flour 4 cups
- 200 g water room temperature (3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 200 g canned pumpkin puree for the dough not pumpkin pie filling (3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
- 75 g active sourdough starter fed and bubbly (1/3 cup)
- 20 g brown sugar for the dough 1 1/2 tablespoons packed
- 8 g salt 1 1/2 teaspoons
- 10 g vanilla extract for the dough 2 teaspoons
For the Vanilla Butter Dip
- 85 g butter melted, for the vanilla dip (6 tablespoons)
- 5 g vanilla extract for the vanilla dip 1 teaspoon
For the Pumpkin Pie Spice Coating
- 150 g brown sugar for the coating 3/4 cup packed
- 7 g cornstarch for the coating 1 tablespoon
- 6.5 g ground cinnamon for the coating 2 1/2 teaspoons
- 1.8 g ground ginger for the coating 1 teaspoon
- 1.1 g ground nutmeg for the coating 1/2 teaspoon
- 0.5 g ground cloves for the coating 1/4 teaspoon
- 0.5 g ground allspice for the coating 1/4 teaspoon
- 0.25 g ground cardamom for the coating 1/8 teaspoon
For the Brown Butter Maple Glaze
- 28 g butter for the glaze weighed before browning (2 tablespoons)
- 40 g pure maple syrup for the glaze 2 tablespoons
- 180 g powdered sugar for the glaze 1 1/2 cups
- 15 to 30 g milk or cream for the glaze 1 to 2 tablespoons
- Pinch of salt for the glaze
Instructions
Day 1: Make the Pumpkin Sourdough Dough
- Mix the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the water, pumpkin puree, active sourdough starter, brown sugar, and vanilla until the starter is dissolved and the pumpkin is completely blended in. Add the flour and salt, then mix until no dry flour remains. The dough will be sticky and shaggy.
- Rest. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Stretch and fold. Perform one set of stretch and folds. With wet hands, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over itself, then rotate the bowl and repeat, working your way around the entire dough 4 to 6 times.
- Bulk fermentation. Cover and let the dough proof at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours, until it has tripled in size, the top is domed and bubbly, and it is pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Cooler kitchens may need longer, so follow the rise rather than the clock.
Day 2: Shape, Rise, and Bake
- Prepare the pan. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper, pour in the 28g of melted butter, and spread it evenly across the bottom.
- Prepare the vanilla butter. Melt the 85g of butter, stir in the 5g of vanilla extract, and set it aside in a small bowl for dipping.
- Prepare the coating. Whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and cardamom in a shallow bowl until the spices are evenly mixed with no clumps.
- Shape, dip, and coat. Turn the dough out onto a surface lightly sprayed with oil. Working one ball at a time, pinch off a golf ball size piece of dough, dip it in the vanilla butter, roll it generously in the pumpkin pie spice coating, and place it in the pan. Arrange the balls touching with very little space between them, in rows. You should end up with roughly 24 to 30 balls depending on size.
- Drizzle. Pour any remaining vanilla butter over the arranged balls.
- Second rise. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, until the balls are puffy and have grown together into one cohesive pull-apart loaf.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Gently dimple the tops of the balls with your fingers, then bake on the lower rack for 25 to 30 minutes, until deep golden brown and the internal temperature reads 190 to 200°F.
- Cool. Let the focaccia cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before glazing.
Make the Brown Butter Maple Glaze
- Brown the butter. Melt the 28g of butter in a small light colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling often, until it foams, the milk solids turn toasty golden brown, and it smells nutty, about 4 to 6 minutes. Pour it right away into a bowl, scraping in all the browned bits.
- Add the maple. Let the brown butter sit for about 1 minute so it does not spatter, then whisk in the maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Give it a good whisk right before using, since the butter and maple will not fully blend.
- Mix the glaze. Whisk the brown butter maple mixture into the powdered sugar, then add the milk or cream a little at a time, starting with 15g, until the glaze is thick but pourable.
- Glaze and serve. Drizzle the warm glaze over the warm focaccia. If the glaze thickens before you finish, warm it in the microwave for a few seconds to loosen it. Serve warm and pull apart to enjoy.
Notes
Why there is less water in this dough
Canned pumpkin is roughly 90 percent water, so the added water is lower than in my other pull-apart focaccias to account for everything the pumpkin brings. The dough will feel a little firmer and easier to pinch into balls, so resist adding extra flour.
Use canned pumpkin puree
Use plain 100 percent canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Homemade puree holds much more water, so if you use it, cook it down until it is thick enough to hold a spoon upright and let it cool first.
Let it triple
This dough needs to triple during bulk fermentation, usually 8 to 12 hours at room temperature. A straight sided container with measurement marks makes it easy to see when you have reached it.
Make ahead, two ways
Option 1, night before: mix the dough in the evening and let it bulk ferment overnight at room temperature, then shape, dip, coat, rise, bake, and glaze in the morning. Option 2, day before: mix in the morning and ferment during the day, then shape, dip, coat, and arrange in the evening, cover well, and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, let the pan come to room temperature and finish rising for 1 to 2 hours before baking and glazing.
Pumpkin pie spice blend
You can use the same total weight of my homemade pumpkin pie spice or a store bought blend in place of the individual spices in the coating.
Storage and freezing
Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2 days and reheat pieces in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds or the whole pan in a 300°F oven. To freeze, bake and cool completely, then freeze without the glaze. Defrost at room temperature, warm in the oven, and glaze fresh before serving.
No sourdough starter
Use the same day yeast version on this post.
