Easy Sourdough Pumpkin Cranberry Quick Bread Recipe

This easy sourdough pumpkin cranberry quick bread recipe is soft, moist, warmly spiced, and filled with tart dried cranberries. It is a simple fall quick bread made with sourdough discard, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice, and it makes two generous loaves.

If you are new to baking with sourdough discard, start with my What Is Sourdough Discard? guide so you know exactly what it is and how to use it in simple recipes like this one. And if you love simple discard baking, you may also like The Best Sourdough Zucchini Bread Discard Recipe or Easy Sourdough Discard Peach Quick Bread Recipe.

I first came across a version of this pumpkin bread in October of 2008, when a dear family friend, Marg, threw Theron and me a surprise pre-wedding celebration dinner. She served it as dessert, and everyone loved it. She kindly shared the recipe with me, and over the years I converted it into this sourdough discard pumpkin cranberry quick bread.

The original recipe included an orange glaze, and I kept that as an optional topping. The bread is delicious on its own, but the orange glaze gives it a brighter flavor and pairs beautifully with the pumpkin and cranberries.

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Quick Look

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 55 to 60 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 2 loaves
Texture: Moist, tender, warmly spiced, and lightly sweet
Best Served: Sliced with butter, coffee, tea, or as a simple fall dessert

What Is Quick Bread?

Quick bread is bread that rises without yeast. Instead of kneading dough and waiting for it to rise, quick breads use baking powder, baking soda, or both to help the batter rise while it bakes.

This is why recipes like pumpkin bread, banana bread, zucchini bread, muffins, cornbread, biscuits, and scones are usually considered quick breads. They are mixed, poured into a pan, and baked without a long rise time.

This recipe is still a quick bread even though it uses sourdough discard. The sourdough starter adds flavor and moisture, while the baking powder and baking soda do the main leavening work.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

322 grams all-purpose flour (2 ¼ cups)

4 grams baking powder (1 teaspoon)

5 grams baking soda (1 teaspoon)

3 grams salt (½ teaspoon)

6 to 8 grams pumpkin pie spice (1 tablespoon)

Wet Ingredients

225 grams sourdough discard or active sourdough starter (1 cup)

426 grams packed light or dark brown sugar (2 cups)

113 grams melted butter or melted coconut oil (½ cup)

100 grams eggs, without shells (2 large eggs)

425 grams pumpkin puree (1 ¾ cups or one 15 ounce can)

Additional Ingredients

120 grams sweetened dried cranberries (1 cup)

Optional Orange Glaze

60 grams powdered sugar, sifted (½ cup)

60 grams orange juice (¼ cup)

1 gram grated orange peel (½ teaspoon)

Equipment

Large mixing bowl

Medium mixing bowl

Whisk

Danish dough whisk or wooden spoon

Rubber spatula

Two 9x5 inch loaf pans

Parchment paper, optional

Wire cooling rack

Small bowl for the glaze, optional

How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Cranberry Quick Bread

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans with butter, or line them with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

In a separate bowl, add the sourdough discard, brown sugar, melted butter or oil, eggs, and pumpkin puree. Whisk until smooth and well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix. A few small streaks of flour are better than overworking the batter.

Fold in the dried cranberries.

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans. Smooth the tops with a spatula.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean. If the tops begin browning too quickly, loosely tent the pans with foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking.

Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Carefully transfer the loaves to a wire rack and let them cool completely before slicing. If adding the orange glaze, whisk the powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange peel together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the cooled loaves before serving.

Optional Long Fermented Version

For a long fermented version, do not mix the full batter and leave it out overnight. Since this recipe contains eggs and pumpkin, the safer method is to ferment only part of the batter and add the eggs and leavening ingredients before baking.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sourdough discard, pumpkin puree, melted butter or oil, and brown sugar until combined.

Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours, then place it in the refrigerator overnight for 12 to 18 hours.

The next day, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes so it is easier to stir.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl, whisk together the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

Add the eggs to the fermented mixture and stir well.

Sprinkle the baking powder mixture over the batter and stir until evenly combined.

Fold in the dried cranberries.

Divide the batter between two greased or parchment-lined 9x5 inch loaf pans.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean.

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Add the optional orange glaze once the loaves are fully cooled.

Tips for the Best Sourdough Pumpkin Cranberry Quick Bread

Do not overmix the batter. Quick bread should be stirred just until the flour is combined. Overmixing can make the loaves dense or tough.

Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already has sugar and spices added, which can change the flavor and texture.

Divide the batter evenly between two loaf pans. This recipe makes two loaves, and putting all the batter in one pan will make the center difficult to bake through.

Let the bread cool before slicing. The crumb sets as it cools, and slicing too soon can make the bread gummy.

Use either sourdough discard or active starter. Since this is a quick bread, the starter does not need to be bubbly and active.

How to Store Sourdough Pumpkin Cranberry Quick Bread

Once the loaves are completely cool, wrap them tightly or store them in an airtight container.

At room temperature, this bread keeps well for about 2 days.

For longer storage, refrigerate it for up to 5 days. The refrigerator can dry quick bread out a little, so wrap it tightly.

To freeze, wrap each loaf or individual slices in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Sourdough Pumpkin Cranberry Quick Bread FAQ