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Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Bread with Sourdough Discard

4.62 from 18 ratings

This is a simple, classic Pumpkin Spice Bread made with sourdough discard and gluten free flour. It’s moist and tender and you’d truly never know it was gluten free!

Sliced gluten free pumpkin spice bread on a small wood rectangular cutting board on top of a blue and white striped napkin

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Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Bread with Sourdough Discard

I adapted this Pumpkin Spice Bread from my traditional Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread recipe to use up some of my sourdough discard and the results are 10/10 tasty!


I’ve really been enjoying baking with the discard from my sourdough starter – it makes some fantastic baked goods! It makes a really moist pumpkin bread that’s got a little hint of extra flavor but definitely not sour like traditional sourdough bread.

After transforming my popular Gluten Free Banana Bread recipe with sourdough discard, I knew I had to do the same with my Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread recipe. You guys, baking with sourdough discard is a game changer. It takes great recipes and elevates them even more!

What You Need To Know About This Easy Pumpkin Bread Recipe:

I didn’t add any mix-ins because my youngest would have been really mad at me 😅

However, this is the perfect blank canvas type of bread and mix-ins are more than welcome! Feel free to add some dried cranberries for a pumpkin cranberry bread, raisins, chocolate chips, or nuts. Just be sure to only use about 1/2-1 cup. No more than 1 cup or it might increase the baking time even more.

Sliced gluten free pumpkin spice bread on top of a light wood cutting board on top of a blue and white striped towel

Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and let me know in the comments! You can also leave a photo/comment on this pin for others to see.

If you’re looking for other sourdough discard recipes, try my Sourdough Chocolate Cake, Sourdough Banana Bread, Sourdough Cornbread, and Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are perfect if you’ve got a super active starter and always have some discard on hand.

Try them all and then let me know which one is your favorite!

If you want to try subbing sourdough discard into other recipes, I typically use 1 cup of discard in place of 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of liquid (water/milk).


Key Ingredients for Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread with Sourdough Discard

  • Gluten Free Flour – I use my Nightshade-Free Gluten Free Flour Blend in this recipe with excellent results. My starter is made with the same flour blend.
  • Sourdough Discard – made with equal parts flour and water (100% hydration).
  • Pumpkin Puree – I used organic canned pumpkin puree. Be sure to check that it’s not pumpkin pie filling!
  • Spices – pumpkin spice bread gets it’s flavor from cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Dairy Free Pumpkin Bread

This pumpkin bread is super easy to make dairy free. Just use unsweetened coconut milk beverage (or your dairy free milk of choice) in place of the milk. Since I make this pumpkin bread recipe with oil, there’s no need to swap out butter here!

gluten free pumpkin spice bread that's been cut into to show the inside of the bread with one slice laying flat on the cutting board
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Equipment Needed to Make Homemade Pumpkin Bread

  • Loaf Pan – I use a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan in this recipe.
  • Mixing Bowls – I use two bowls. One for wet ingredients and one for dry ingredients.
  • Basic Tools – wooden spoon, whisk, and a spatula.
  • Measuring Tools – Measuring cups for wet and dry ingredients. I highly suggest using a Digital Kitchen Scale to measure your starter and dry ingredients.
a hand grabbing a piece of gluten free pumpkin spice bread from above

How to Make Pumpkin Bread with Sourdough Discard

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper.

Step 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir in nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, etc. if using (see note 2).

Step 3. In a separate large bowl, add the pumpkin puree, eggs, light brown sugar, oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine and then whisk in the sourdough discard until completely incorporated.

Step 4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until all the flour is combined and moistened. Then transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan.

Step 5. Bake for 60-75 minutes at 350 degrees or until a cake tester comes out clean. This bread takes longer to bake than traditional pumpkin bread. If your bread starts to brown too much on top before it’s done, loosely cover it with foil.

Step 6. Once the bread is done, cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Then remove it from the pan, discard the parchment paper, and cool on a wire rack. For best results, cool completely before slicing.

gluten free pumpkin spice bread sliced on a rectangular cutting board with one slice flat on a marble surface


Tips for Making the Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe

  • This bread has a long baking time – don’t worry, it’s fine! Bake for at least an hour and continue to bake until a cake tester comes out clean or with moist crumbs. There’s a lot of moisture in this loaf so you want to make sure you don’t pull it out of the oven too soon.
  • Add Mix-ins – up to 1 cup of mix-ins can be added (nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries, etc.).
  • Don’t use the discard from a new starter. You want your starter to be around 5-10 days old before using the discard and you want it to be bubbling, growing, and smell yeasty/sour.
  • Use a starter with 100% hydration. Meaning, your sourdough starter is made with equal parts flour and water by weight.
    • If you use a starter made with a higher percentage of flour or water, you’ll have to adjust for that when making this recipe.
  • Don’t over-measure your flour. Too much flour will make your bread dense and dry. Get my free guide to measuring flour here.
  • Let the bread cool completely before slicing. If you slice it while it’s still warm, it will crumble. The bread needs that cooling time to firm up.
  • Adjustments for higher elevation baking may need to be made with this recipe.
overhead shot of slice gluten free pumpkin spice bread on a narrow wood rectangular cutting board

Other Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread Recipes To Try


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overhead shot of slice gluten free pumpkin spice bread on a narrow wood rectangular cutting board

Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Bread with Sourdough Discard

4.62 from 18 ratings
This is a simple, classic Pumpkin Spice Bread made with sourdough discard and gluten free flour. It’s moist and tender and you’d truly never know it was gluten free!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 10 -12 slices
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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups 210 gluten free flour (see note 1)
  • 1 teaspoon 4g xanthan gum (omit if your blend contains it)
  • 1 teaspoon 6g baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon 3g baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon 3g fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup 100g granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon 4g ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1/2 cup 100g light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/3 cup avocado oil
  • 1/3 cup milk room temperature (see note 3)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup 265g sourdough discard (see note 4)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir in nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, etc. if using (see note 2).
  • In a separate large bowl, add the pumpkin puree, eggs, light brown sugar, oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine and then whisk in the sourdough discard until completely incorporated.
  • Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until all the flour is combined and moistened. Then transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan.
  • Bake for 60-75 minutes at 350 degrees or until a cake tester comes out clean. This bread takes longer to bake than traditional pumpkin bread. If your bread starts to brown too much on top before it's done, loosely cover it with foil.
  • Once the bread is done, cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Then remove it from the pan, discard the parchment paper, and cool on a wire rack. For best results, cool completely before slicing.

Notes

  1. I used my Nightshade Free Gluten Free Flour Blend with this recipe.
  2. Add 1/2 - 1 cup of your favorite mix ins (nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, craisins, etc.)
  3. For dairy free, use unsweetened coconut milk beverage or your favorite unsweetened dairy free milk.
  4. My sourdough starter/discard is also made with my Nightshade Free flour blend and is made with 100% hydration (equal parts flour and water). If your starter is made with different proportions of flour and water, it will affect the outcome of the bread. Starters made with less water may produce a dry bread and starters made with more water will produce a loaf that is too wet or will not bake through properly.
  5. Keep the bread wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days. To freeze, wrap tightly in plastic wrap then freeze in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 160kcal

Disclaimers

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Facts are estimated and aren't always accurate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs.

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Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and let me know in the comments! You can also leave a photo/comment on this pin for others to see.

4.62 from 18 votes (17 ratings without comment)

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Shay

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Recipe Rating




  1. Steph says:

    5 stars
    I made this bread today. I swapped out the nutmeg with ginger. It was awesome and I will definitely make this again.

  2. Carrie C Olvey says:

    Why don’t you let the bread rise at all, since it has sourdough starter in it? I am just worried about it being too dense since it is not given a chance to rise.

  3. Paula says:

    I made this recipe with chocolate chips and walnuts, It was amazing, moist and I had to share it so I wouldn’t eat it all!

  4. Abigail says:

    This recipe is good!