Sourdough Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

Name: Sourdough Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 egg; 1 egg yolk; 2 (30g) Tbsp sour cream (or full fat Greek yogurt); ⅓ (80g) cup sourdough discard; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ¾ (180g) cup pumpkin purée; ¼ (60g) cup avocado oil ( or neutral oil); ½ (95g) cup white granulated sugar; 1/2 (100g) cup brown sugar; 1½ cups (185g) all-purpose flour; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 3/4 tsp ground ginger; ½ tsp ground nutmeg; ⅛ tsp ground cardamom; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp fine sea salt; 3 (40g) Tbsp whole milk; 1/4 (40g) cup all-purpose flour; 6 (170g) oz full fat cream cheese (softened); 1 egg; 3 (24g) tbsp powdered sugar (or granulated sugar); 1 (8g) tbsp all-purpose flour; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon salt

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Pumpkin is one of the best fall flavors (and my personal favorite). And while you’ve probably had your fair share of pumpkin bread, this Sourdough Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread might just ruin all of the others for you. This loaf is soft, warmly spiced, and has a thick creamy ribbon of cheesecake that bakes right through the center. Every bite is rich, cozy, and exactly what fall should taste like.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Great way to use discard: Have discard on hand? This is a delicious way to use it up.
Perfectly spiced: A homemade blend of warm spices gives this bread the perfect pumpkin flavor.
Soft and moist: This pumpkin bread is tender and incredibly moist for days.
Rich cream cheese swirl: A thick ribbon of cheesecake batter is swirled in the loaf that instantly elevates this well loved classic.
Overnight Fermentation Option: This bread can be baked right away or you can ferment the batter overnight.

Tools You’ll Need:

Hand mixer or sturdy whisk- for blending batter and mixing cream cheese filling.
Mixing bowls– to mix batter and cream cheese filling. I love these mixing bowls linked here that have lids for easy refrigerator fermentation.
Kitchen scale (optional)– for accurate measuring, especially helpful with sourdough baking linked here.
Measuring cups and spoons- if not using a scale and for smaller ingredients.
Spatula– to fold ingredients.
9×5-inch loaf pan- to bake your loaf. Make sure you use a true 9×5 or you may have spillage, or don’t add all of the batter to the pan. This USA pan linked here is my favorite for baking.
Parchment paper– to line your pan to avoid burning. This is very important!
Small metal clips (optional)- to clip the parchment to the pan linked here.

Gather Your Ingredients:

Pumpkin Puree– Brings natural sweetness, moisture, and tenderness to the bread, while giving the bread that classic flavor we want! I like to use the brand Libby’s but any will work. Make sure you do not use pumpkin pie filling only use 100% pumpkin puree.
Sourdough starter- (flat or past peak, can be cold or room temperature). Adds depth of flavor, moisture, without making this bread “sour”. Key for fermentation if you choose to rest the batter overnight. I list a swap for the starter on the recipe card if you want to skip this!
Avocado Oil- Adds moisture and keeps the loaf soft and tender. You can substitute for any neutral cooking oil.
Sour Cream- Adds moisture and tang to balance sweetness and enhance tenderness of the crumb. You can also substitute for full fat Greek yogurt.
Brown sugar– Helps to sweeten the loaf and gives that fall flavor from the molasses.
White sugar– Boosts sweetness and supports the rise and golden color.
Vanilla extract- Enhances the flavor and brings warmth.
Eggs (room temperature)– provide structure and lift with moisture, works as a binder for ingredients. Helps the cheesecake filling set up.
All-purpose flour- Gives the bread structure while keeping it soft and cakey.
Baking powder + Baking soda– Ensures the right rise and tenderness.
Salt- Balances sweetness and enhances all the other flavors.
Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, and Cardamom- Rounds out the pumpkin flavor and brings that classic pumpkin spice warmth. You can substitute these spices for a pumpkin spice blend of you prefer, but I like to mix my own to guarantee the flavor is the same each time.
Cream Cheese– the base of the cheesecake filling layer. Bring a rich tanginess that blends with the pumpkin perfectly!
Powdered Sugar- sweetens and stabilizes the cheesecake filling. You can substitute for granulated white sugar and add 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch if you don’t have this on hand.

Instructions

Step 1: Mix the Batter

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk, sour cream, sourdough discard, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin purée, and oil until smooth.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and gently combine everything until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix or the batter will become tough.

Optional Overnight Fermentation: Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8–12 hours for added fermentation benefits.

Step 2: Make Cheesecake Filling

Continued Overnight Fermentation: If you fermented the batter overnight, remove from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for an hour to soften the batter.

Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature before proceeding with making the cheesecake filling.

In a bowl, add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, flour, vanilla and salt. Mix on low with hand beaters until smooth. Add egg to the mixture and beat on low until just combined. Set aside.

Step 3: Assemble and Bake

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment, and gently spray with cooking spray.

If the batter was fermented overnight, gently mix with a spatula to combine ingredients and pop any air bubbles.

Pour half the batter into the pan, and spread to the edges.

Pour the cheesecake filling over the top. , and use a spatula to spread the cheesecake filling to the edge.

Use a spoon to drop spoonful’s of remaining pumpkin bread batter all over the top of the cheesecake filling, then spread the top layer of batter to the edge gently.

It’s best to work with small amounts of batter and try to drop it evenly over the top, to cover the cream cheese rather than spreading the batter. If some of the cheesecake filling pokes through, that’s okay! This step will create your cream cheese swirl.

Use your spatula or a butter knife to draw a line down the center of the batter, this will help guide your bread to split evenly down the center when it rises.

Layer half the pumpkin batter in the pan

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven, and bake for 60 minutes, tenting with foil if the top is browning too quickly.

A toothpick inserted into the bread portion should come out clean with a few moist crumbs. Internal temperature of bread portion of the loaf should read 200 F.

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and refrigerate for 1 hour to help the cheesecake filling to set up.

Slice and serve! Enjoy!

Yields 1 standard 9×5 loaf

How to Store:

Room Temperature: Store the fully cooled loaf tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room temp for up to 1 day. Because of the cream cheese filling, this bread needs to be refrigerated.

Refrigerator: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Freezer: Wrap loaf in plastic and then wrap in foil to avoid freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy loaf, allow to thaw at room temperature overnight. Serve!

FAQ’S

Can I skip the overnight fermentation?

Yes! you can bake the same day, just mix the batter and bake!

Why did my cream cheese sink?

This can happen if you have too little batter in the pan when you add the cheesecake filling. Make sure the pan is half full before adding the cheesecake filling.

Can I replace the sour cream?

Yes, full-fat Greek yogurt will work.

Why did my loaf sink in the middle?

It was either underbaked or overmixed. Let it bake fully and cool slowly for the best texture.

If you loved this recipe, drop a comment and leave a star review and don’t forget to checkout more of my sourdough quick bread recipes!

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