Chef John's No-Knead Pumpkin Bread

Name: Chef John's No-Knead Pumpkin Bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 0.25 tsp Active Dry Yeast; 3 cups All-Purpose Flour; 1 tbsp Cornmeal; 0.25 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice; 0.5 cup Pumpkin Puree; 1.25 tsp Sea Salt; 1 cup Water

Breakfast 🍳Side Dish 🥗Snack 🍿 American Low-Sodium Heart-Healthy ❤️Vegetarian 🥦Vegan 🌱Plant-Based 🌻Halal 🕌Kosher ✡️Clean Eating Pescatarian 🐟

Chef John's No-Knead Pumpkin Bread bakes up with a crackly crust, open crumb, and a gentle hint of pumpkin and warm spice. After a long, hands-off rise, the loaf develops deep flavor and a beautiful golden hue—perfect sliced with butter or served alongside autumn soups and holiday brunches.

Prep20 mins
Cook50 mins
Serves8
DifficultyMedium

1

Put the pumpkin puree in a large mixing bowl and whisk in 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water, the salt, the yeast, and the pumpkin pie spice until well combined. Beat in the flour to form a dry, crumbly dough. Continue stirring until the dough turns smooth and sticky, 2 to 3 minutes.
2

Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough sit to rise for 12 to 16 hours.
3

Generously sprinkle cornmeal onto the center of a baking sheet. Using a floured spatula, scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a heavily floured work surface. The dough will be very sticky. Dust the dough with flour and gently press it into an oblong. Fold two opposite rounded ends to meet in the center; fold the other two rounded ends to meet in the center to make a rectangle. With well-floured hands, gently shape it into a round loaf with the seams underneath.
4

Move the round of dough to the center of the prepared baking sheet. Generously dust the top and sides of the loaf with more flour.
5

Dust a dry towel with flour and lay it, floured side down, over the loaf. Let it rise until almost doubled in size, 1 1/2 hours. With a sharp knife, cut a 1/2-inch-deep slit across the top.
6

Place a loaf pan with about 2 inches of water on a bottom oven rack. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
7

Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 30 minutes; rotate the bread in the oven. Continue baking until the bread is golden brown and crusty, about 20 more minutes. Let the bread cool completely on a rack before slicing.