Sourdough Pumpkin Marble Bread

This Sourdough Pumpkin Marble Bread is made with rich black cocoa, sourdough discard, warm pumpkin spices, and beautiful swirls of chocolate and pumpkin in every slice.

The moist and tender quick pumpkin bread is easy to make and a perfect Halloween or fall treat to share with guests. Add pumpkin seeds on top for a slight crunch.

Black cocoa gives the chocolate portion a deep color and rich cocoa flavor that contrasts beautifully with the orange pumpkin batter. Use extra sourdough discard to make this seasonal treat for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert.

The detailed recipe will guide you through every step, including how to swirl and bake the sourdough pumpkin marble bread with lots of pro baking tips.

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👍 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Moist and tender sourdough pumpkin bread that keeps well for days.
• Easy to make quick bread with bowls, a loaf pan, a whisk, and a spatula with no special tools required.
• This is a perfect make-ahead fall sourdough dessert that stores well in the refrigerator for days or the cakes can be frozen ahead of time.
• Made with real pumpkin puree and pumpkin spices.
• The dramatic black and orange swirl is unique each time and great for sourdough Halloween bakes.

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🔍 Pro Tips for Making Sourdough Pumpkin Marble Bread

• Don’t over-mix the batter, or it will be tough instead of tender and light, just like making Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Pound Cake, Sourdough Strawberry Bread, or muffins.
• While similar to my Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins, this bread is lighter due to the inclusion of oil instead of butter in the batter like my Sourdough Pumpkin Cupcakes.
• Line the bread loaf pan with parchment paper so it’s easy to remove from the pan.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Don’t overbake or you’ll have drier, denser loaf.
• Don’t swirl the bread too much or the marble effect won’t be as stark. I use a butter knife or a wooden dowel to swirl the two batters in a few figure 8 shapes.

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🛠 Tools Needed

• Baking scale
  • Flour and sourdough starter can weigh differently from person to person, so weighing your ingredients will make your baking more consistent and accurate. It’s the most important sourdough tool you can have!
• Whisk and Spatula, for mixing
• Bread Loaf Pan
  • Use a standard aluminum 8.5×4.5″ bread loaf pan for this quick bread. If your pan is darker, it make bake slightly faster.
  • You can use a 9×5″ bread loaf pan, but it may bake slightly faster and have a squatter appearance.
• Butter Knife or Wooden Dowel, for swirling batters

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

• All-purpose flour
  • You can substitute with a gluten-free flour to make a gluten-free sourdough pumpkin bread, such as cup-for-cup or measure-for-measure.
  • Use whole wheat flour for a heartier, denser cake.
• Baking Soda helps the loaf rise and gives it a spongier texture.
• Salt
• Pumpkin Spices
  • Use pumpkin pie spice or a combination of warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and clove.
• Cinnamon
  • A little extra warming spice to create a cozy bake.
• Pumpkin Puree
  • I use canned Libby’s pumpkin for consistency. Some canned pumpkin purees will have more or less moisture, so it may be helpful to dab any excess water out if it seems runny.
  • Alternatively, you can make your own puree by roasting a pumpkin.
• Eggs provide structure, rise, binding, richness, and moisture.
• Brown Sugar
  • Adds moisture and a caramel molasses flavor in addition to sweetness.
• Vanilla Extract
  • Use real vanilla extract, not imitation.
• Sourdough Discard
  • If you don’t have an active sourdough starter, learn how to make one in a week following my how-to guide. See my top sourdough starter tips and other sourdough discard recipes.
• Vegetable Oil
  • A neutral oil such as vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil keep the bread moist for days with a light texture.
  • Substitute the oil with a stick of cooled, melted butter for a richer, denser bread.
• Black Cocoa
  • The key ingredient for a jet black batter is black cocoa. It’s what makes these Homemade Sourdough Oreos look like the real thing.
  • You can substitute with Dutch-process cocoa, but it won’t be as pitch black.
  • Use black cocoa in more of my recipes, such as these Sourdough Cocoa Puffs, Sourdough Black and White Cookies, and Sourdough Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies.
• Whole Milk
  • You need a little warm liquid to mix and bloom the black cocoa powder. I use warm milk, but you could use coffee, hot water, or plant-based milk.
• Pumpkin Seeds or Pepitas
  • Optional crunchy topping

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🎃🍫 How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Marble Bread

1. Mix the Dry Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and line and grease a loaf pan with parchment paper with some overhang on the sides like a sling for easy removal.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (except the black cocoa) together and set aside.

2. Mix in the Wet Ingredients

In another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients (except the milk).

Then, pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

3. Mix Chocolate Batter

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk sifted black cocoa and warm milk together until the cocoa is fully hydrated and no dry spots remain.

Pour about ⅓ of the pumpkin batter into the chocolate mixture and mix it together with a spatula until the batter is completely black with no orange streaks.

4. Swirl the Batters

Use spoons or cookie/ice cream scoops to alternate layering the pumpkin and chocolate batters into the prepared loaf pan.

Then, use a butter knife or wooden dowel to gently swirl figure 8s into the batter a few times to create a marble effect. Don’t overmix or the swirl pattern won’t be as dramatic.

To get a striped zebra effect instead, alternate layering the batters on top of each other without swirling the batters.

5. Bake

Top with optional pumpkin seeds or chocolate chips before baking.

Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If there is any wet batter, continue baking for another five minutes and test again.

Cool completely (at least an hour) before removing the bread and slicing.

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How to Store

Store the cooled sourdough pumpkin marble bread in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Keep at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.

For longer storage, refrigerate it for up to a week in an airtight container. Warm briefly before serving.

You can freeze the whole loaf or individual slices for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw at room temperature before serving, or warm slices in the microwave.

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions