No Knead Pumpkin Bread (So Easy!)

Check out my Pumpkin Sourdough Bread and Pumpkin Dinner Rolls recipes ❤️

I held out until the very last day of August to share this ridiculously easy pumpkin bread recipe. To be frank, I can’t wait for the seasons to change. I am all about comfort food, cozy sweaters and sofa snuggles with the cat!

There’s nothing more comforting than the scent of bread baking in the oven and this is such an easy recipe that ANYONE can make it.

Not only is it super easy, it’s pretty quick too, as far as bread baking goes. Mix your ingredients, let the bread rise, shape and rise again and you can be baking in two hours.

Pumpkin bread has a delightfully chewy, crunchy crust and a soft, moist crumb. The flavor of the pumpkin comes through with a hint of sweetness and bright orange color. It’s so delicious that we usually polish off an entire loaf in a couple of days.

No Knead Pumpkin Bread Ingredients

You need just a handful of ingredients to make this easy pumpkin bread recipe. Let’s take a look:

• Bread flour: strong white bread flour has a higher protein content which gives your loaf structure and better rise than all purpose flour.
• Yeast: I prefer using rapid rise yeast (a.k.a instant yeast) which is mixed with the flour and doesn’t require activation first.
• Salt and freshly ground nutmeg – you can also add a bit of pumpkin spice if you like!
• Maple syrup for a hint of sweetness
• Water: I use filtered water
• Pumpkin purée: canned 100% pumpkin purée is perfect for this recipe.
• Olive or sesame oil to grease the bowl

Useful Tools

• Digital scales are needed for accurate measuring
• Bowl or a banneton basket for proving the dough
• Lame, razor or sharp knife for scoring
• A cast iron pot (Dutch Oven)
• Dough whisk for mixing bread dough (optional but useful!)
• Bench scraper and small spray bottle
• A bread sling is super useful

How to Make No Knead Pumpkin Bread

↓ For the full ingredients and detailed method, jump to the recipe card.

Prepare the Dough

Place your flour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast, salt and nutmeg. Add the water, maple syrup and pumpkin purée.

Stir well to combine using a dough whisk or a wooden spoon. The dough will be shaggy and dry at first – leave it to rest for 10 minutes and mix once again until the flour is fully hydrated.

First Rise

Mist the bowl with a little olive oil (or sesame oil), cover and let rise for 60-90 minutes or until doubled. The ambient temperature in your kitchen will determine how long this takes.

Shape the Loaf

Mist your worktop with water or a little oil. Tip the dough onto the worktop and stretch it out gently to form a long rectangle.

Fold the dough into three sections, like a letter (letter fold). Roll into a tight ball.

Shape the bread using your hands and a bench scraper into a round loaf (known as a boule). Keep turning on the countertop, shaping between your hands and slightly tucking under until the loaf is smooth. Dust with flour to make the shaping easier.

Second Rise

Place the loaf, seam side up, into a banneton dusted with rice or gluten free flour. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. If you are not using a banneton, you can place the bread in a bowl lined with well floured baking paper or a clean linen towel.

Cover loosely with a shower cap or a plastic bag and let rise again for 30-45 minutes while your oven preheats.

Bake and Enjoy

Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) half an hour before the end of proving. Place a cast iron pot (Dutch Oven) in the oven to preheat.

Invert the loaf onto a bread sling or baking paper. Carefully remove the pot from the oven using oven mitts and lower the bread into it. Score the loaf using a sharp knife, razor or lame.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 425°F (220°C). Take the lid off the pot and bake for 15 minutes. Lift the bread out of the Dutch oven and place on wire rack to cool before slicing and serving.

Recipe Notes

Avoid slicing the bread while it is still warm (I know, hard to resist when it smells so good!). Allow it to cool down otherwise the crumb will be gummy when you try to slice it.

• The bread can lose its crisp crust due to the high moisture content from the pumpkin. You can refresh to to crisp perfection by warming it up in the oven or an air fryer for 10 minutes at 160°C (320°F).
• Store the cooled bread in a linen bread bag at room temperature for 2-3 days. Alternatively you can slice the loaf, place it in a freezer-safe bag and freeze it for up to three months. Toast the slices from frozen to serve.
• How to tell if your bread is baked: tap the underside with your knuckles – it should sound hollow. Alternatively check with a digital thermometer, it should register 190–210°F (88–99°C) in the center of the loaf.

Lucy’s Pro Tip

Using Dry Active Yeast

Combine 1/4 cup (60g) of the water specified in the ingredients and the maple syrup in a measuring jug. Add the yeast, stir well and rest for 5-10 minutes until it is active and bubbly.

Combine the flour, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl, add the remaining water, pumpkin purée and the activated yeast. Mix well until a sticky dough forms and proceed with method.

HAVE YOU MADE MY NO KNEAD PUMPKIN BREAD RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram with @supergolden88 and the tag #Nusde and make my day!