This showstopper No-Knead Pumpkin Harvest Bread is made with pumpkin pureé and filled with dried cranberries, golden raisins, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Make this surprisingly easy pumpkin shaped harvest bread recipe as a fall treat for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any special occasion.
No-knead bread is so wonderful because with very little effort anyone can become an artisan baker. This pumpkin-shaped harvest bread recipe with a cinnamon stick stem is loaded with dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.
You’re going to want to make it over and over again all fall season long. And you CAN because it’s so simple!
Recipe Ingredients
- Bread flour
- Salt
- Yeast
- Dried fruit – your choice of cranberries, raisins, blueberries and/or cherries, etc
- Raw unsalted pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
- Water
- Pumpkin puree
- Cinnamon stick – for the stem
How to Make Pumpkin Harvest Bread
First, Make the No-Knead Dough
- In a large bowl blend flour, salt, and yeast.
- Stir in dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.
- Mix the water and pumpkin pureé together then pour over top of the flour/fruit/seed mixture.
- Using a dough whisk, or spoon, mix ingredients until the dough forms a soft dough. Mix until all of the flour is no longer visible. The no-knead pumpkin harvest bread dough will be a bit sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 12-18 hours.
Then Shape the Bread
- Uncover the risen dough and carefully scrape out the dough onto a floured surface.
- Shape the dough into a smooth round ball. Well…not completely smooth there will be bumps and lumps from the fruit and seeds.
- Cut 6 18-inch long pieces of string. Lay them across each other on the floured surface. Tip the dough bottom side up on top of the string. Pull each string end up and tie in a knot in the center of the dough. Repeat will of 6 strings to form a wagon wheel looking pattern. Cut the ends of each string off.
- Turn the dough over so the knot of the string is on the bottom. Straighten the strings as needed to make the wheel uniform as possible. Place on a sheet of parchment and cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1-2 hours.
Bake!
- Heat the oven to 450℉. Place a pot and its lid in the oven and preheat the pot for 30 minutes.
- Once the oven and pot have heated, remove the pot from the oven and carefully lift the sheet of parchment and place it in the heated pot. Cover with the heated lid. Bake covered for 35-37 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking until golden.
- Carefully lift the bread, using the sides of the parchment paper. out of the pot and place on a cooling rack. Cool for 5 minutes, then gently turn over the bread and cut the strings and pull them gently away from the dough. It’s ok if the dough has baked over the top of the string. Just gently pull and it will release.
- Using a small knife, cut a small little circle out of the center of the top of the bread and insert a piece of cinnamon stick. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
Tip: If you wait for the no-knead pumpkin harvest bread to cool the bread will not be doughy or rubbery. Resist temptation and wait!
More Recipe Tips for the Best Pumpkin Bread
- I use cotton bakers string. You might consider lightly oiling the string before tying up the bread to keep it from sticking to the crust.
- Feel free to add pumpkin spices to the dough.
- I used a Trader Joe’s dried fruit blend of cranberries, blueberries, cherries, and golden raisins. So good!!
- Make sure the pot AND lid used can withstand the hot temperatures. If your pot has instructions not to bake in an oven hotter than 425℉, then don’t! Just bake at the temperature recommended for the pot and add extra time for baking.
- Use a thermometer to test the inside of the bread and make sure it is cooked thoroughly. It should be between 190F and 200F when completely baked.
For more tips for baking No-knead Bread check out my Crusty Bread recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is hard to say which is “better” as they are both quite different. Kneaded bread tends to be denser. No-knead dough makes the best pumpkin bread recipe because it keeps the crumb more airy and light… Plus, you get a lot more delicious autumn flavors in the bread because it sits for so long before baking.
This bread isn’t any more or less healthy than other fruit-filled breads. The fruits and pumpkin are on the healthier side, but overall I would not consider this a nutritious food.
If the bread is overly moist and gummy you likely added too much liquid or not enough flour. Be sure to follow the recipe measurements exactly!
Wrap the bread in plastic wrap or keep in a plastic zipper bag with any excess air squished out. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days. For longer storage you can keep in the fridge for up to 5 days… But I doubt it will last that long!
If you are looking for a delicious baked pumpkin treat that leans more savory, be sure to try these adorable and tasty little Pumpkin Buns with Herb Butter.
More No-Knead Recipes to Try
- Breakfast Bread
- Dakota Bread
- Cranberry Orange Pecan Bread
- Lemon Rosemary Gruyere Bread
- Easter Bread
- Chile Cheddar Bread
- Herb Focaccia Bread
- Pumpkin Pecan Bread
No-Knead Pumpkin Harvest Bread
This showstopper No-Knead Pumpkin Harvest Bread is made with pumpkin pureé and filled with dried cranberries, golden raisins, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Make this surprisingly easy pumpkin shaped harvest bread recipe as a fall treat for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any special occasion.
Ingredients
- 3 cups + 2 tablespoons bread flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon yeast
- 2/3 cup dried fruit mix cranberries, raisins, blueberries, cherries, etc
- 1/3 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1 cup of water
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2- inch cinnamon stick
Instructions
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In a 2-quart mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and yeast.
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Stir in dried fruit mix. Set aside.
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In a small mixing bowl add water, pumpkin puree, stir until smooth.
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Pour pumpkin mixture over flour mixture and stir just until all of the flour is absorbed. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 12-18 hours.
-
Uncover the risen dough and carefully scrape out the dough onto a floured surface. Shape the dough into a smooth round ball. Well…not completely smooth there will be bumps and lumps from the fruit and seeds.
-
Cut 6 18-inch long pieces of string. Lay them across each other on the floured surface. Tip the dough bottom side up and pull each string end up and tie in a knot in the center of the dough. Repeat will of 6 strings to form a wagon wheel looking pattern. Cut the ends of each string off. Turn the dough over so the knot of the string is on the bottom. Straighten the strings as needed to make the wheel uniform as possible. Place on a sheet of parchment and cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1-2 hours.
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Preheat to 450 ℉ with the pot and lid in the oven. Once the oven and pot have heated, remove the pot from the oven and carefully lift the sheet of parchment, and place it in the heated pot. Cover with the heated lid. Bake covered for 35-37 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking until golden. Carefully lift the bread, using the sides of the parchment paper. out of the pot and place on a cooling rack. Cool for 5 minutes, then gently turn over the bread and cut the strings, and pull them gently away from the dough. It’s ok if the dough has baked over the top of the string. Just gently pull and it will release. Using a small knife, cut a small little circle out of the center of the top of the bread and insert a piece of cinnamon stick. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
Recipe Notes
- I used cotton bakers string.
- Feel free to add pumpkin spices.
- I used a Trader Joe’s dried fruit blend of cranberries, blueberries, cherries, and golden raisins. So Good!!
- Make sure the pot AND lid used can withstand the hot temperatures. If your pot has instructions not to bake in an oven hotter than 425℉, then don’t! Just bake at the temperature recommended for the pot and add extra time for baking.
- For many other tips for making no-knead bread check out my recipe for Crusty Bread.
The recipe says 6 strings, but the photos look like you used 4 strings. Which is it?
I see some people said it was dense and/or too many strings, so maybe it would be better with just 4? Or is the recipe bigger than the loaf shown?
If you count, it will see 6 strands.
looks pretty nice
Love the recipes! Easy and ive never made this type if bread.
How long does it take the bread to
CompleTely cool?
The bread should be cooled in 3-4 hours.
Thank you for the reply.
I made the cranberry Orange Pecan bread too!!! Yummy!!
Im making 2 cranberry orange pecan beads this morning 🙂 for christmas gifts.
Thank you agAin!! Fun to be a bread baker 🙂
When do you add in the nuts? I read through the recipe several times before making it, but didn’t catch this until this morning – about 10 hours into the 1st proofing. Looking back, I think I should have added them with the dried fruit. Is that correct? Is there anything I can do now? Can I add them when I shape for the 2nd proof, or would that take too much air out of the dough? Thanks!
The nuts are added with the dry ingredients. Yes, they are added with the dry fruit. Yes, you can fold the nuts into your dough while shaping.
This looks super delicious and I can’t wait to give it a try! if I wanted to turn this bread into dinner rolls instead would you recommend any changes to the recipe?
can i make this with almond flour?
I have never baked a yeasted bread with almond flour. That being said, here is what King Arthur flour recommends: Like any nut, almonds are high in fat; and fat helps make baked treats moist and tender. This can be a good thing: think pancakes. Or not: think crusty artisan bread, whose texture veers towards chewy rather than tender.
Once you’ve decided if added tenderness is your goal, here are some rules of the road, gleaned over many hours of test baking:
For yeast dough of all kinds (bread, rolls, pizza), add up to 1/3 cup almond flour per cup of wheat flour (all-purpose, bread, whole wheat, etc.)
I have never baked a yeasted bread with almond flour. That being said, here is what King Arthur flour recommends: Like any nut, almonds are high in fat; and fat helps make baked treats moist and tender. This can be a good thing: think pancakes. Or not: think crusty artisan bread, whose texture veers towards chewy rather than tender.
Once you’ve decided if added tenderness is your goal, here are some rules of the road, gleaned over many hours of test baking:
For yeast dough of all kinds (bread, rolls, pizza), add up to 1/3 cup almond flour per cup of wheat flour (all-purpose, bread, whole wheat, etc.)
Not sure what i did wrong- after the rise, my dough smelled like alcohol. I baked it anyway, and the finished loaf smelled/tasted of alcohol! I so badly wanted to love this. Any idea what i did wrong?
It’s possible you have over proofed you dough. Try letting the dough proof for under 12 hours to see if that helps.
This happened to mine too. Just started a second loaf, i will try a shorter rise time
I’m GOING to try this with my american
Persimmon pulp!!!
YUM!!!!
Has anyone tried pumpkin pie mix instead of the puree? I wanted mine to be more of pumpkin spice harvest bread.
Hi Autumn, Pumpkin pie mix has added water, sugar, and spices. The mix in considerable thinner than just adding canned pumpkin puree. If you want the added spice flavors, you can add a spice blend called pumpkin spice or create your own using 3 tbsp. ground cinnamon, 2 tsp. ground ginger, 2 tsp. nutmeg, 1 1/2 tsp. ground allspice, 1 1/2 tsp. ground cloves. Use 1-2 teaspoons of the spice blend depending on how strong you want the spices. You can use pumpkin pie mix, but you will have to delete some of the water in the recipe. I would have to play around with the recipe to come up with the perfect amounts. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you try the bread please let me know if you do
Made twice now. Huge SUCCESS. So cute and tasty. I served with cream cheese. Two things to note. Let rise room temp over night and i soaked cotton Twine in oil so it would not stick. Thank you!
Bravo!!! Thank you so much for your valuable tips and suggestions.
Sorry but this was a total fail for me. followed all the laborious direrctions, even had my husband verify i was doing it right. it never rose, at all. i used a fresh packet of yeast i just bought. Fifteen hours and then tied it up and sat another 2 hours. still no rise. baked it and I have a very dense bread that resembles a saggy pumpkin. had high hopes for this recipe so i could make it for my bunco group. will buy a loaf instead.
I’m so sorry this recipe did not work out for you. The recipe has 4.18 stars from 51 reviews. I’m happy to trouble shoot the recipe with you. I have made this bread using bread flour and regular all-purpose flour. The bread flour did produce a lighter texture and a crisp crust in the baked bread, but the AP flour still produced a good loaf.
I’ve been searching the comments to get some more clarification on the type of East that’s needed – I am only wondering if it’s because you didn’t activate your yeast before you mixed it with the flour? I think the recipe needs a para/clarification on yeast for those of us that are not avid bread makers.
I use instant yeast. I’m so sorry that wasn’t clarified. If you use Active Dry Yeast, you will need to dissolve it in a tablespoon of water before adding to the flour.
oh great. I just made a loaf but did not know to proof the yeast so now I am guessing my loaf won’t rise? A sad waste of ingredients if that is the case.
is there a possibility the yeast will rise with the long rising time? If not, can yo add activated yeast after you mix?
I have never proofed the yeast making this recipe. Your loaf will rise without proofing it. It’s a no-knead recipe that does not require proofing the yeast prior to adding it into the flour mixture. I have re-read my recipe and no when does it state to “proof the yeast”. I hope this helps
Maybe you got a bad batch of yeast or your proofing area was to cool. Bread usually prefers 75-80°F to rise. You could also try “blooming” your yeast separately to be sure it is working before you add it to the rest of the ingredients. Take 1/2 the water and make sure it is warm, between 105-110°F, no hotter or colder or it won’t work. Sprinkle the yeast over top and lightly stir. Let it sit 5mins or so and you should see it foaming up. Now that you know it is working you can add the rest of the water, still keeping it warm as before and then the pumpkin puree and stir before adding it to your dry/fruit ingredients. Don’t give up on one try, give it another try and remember warm water and warm rising space makes bread dough happy 😁 good luck 🍀
This looks so good! What a fun rexipe to make in the fall!
Love this recipe, just wondering if I could make it in the bread machine?? any tips. thank you
I would like to make this sweet. Would adding 1/4 cup of honey be ok?
Yes, you can add honey. However, the dough will be prone to brown more. I would lower the oven temperature to 425℉. You may want to keep an eye on it to make sure the bread doesn’t burn.
I have been adding 1/4 cup of honey and it turns out nice. Last time i cooked for 30 min and then 7. I also added 1/4 teas more of Yeast.
The recipe looks attainable and yummy! I was wondering if you could share the type of yeast you used? Was it active yeast or another type? I am still new to baking so I know my question might be trivial.
Thanks in advance.
I use active dry yeast or instant SAF yeast. Whatever I have available. Both work great!
Sorry if I missed it, but what size dutch oven do you use? I have a 6qt and a 2 qt enamel pot. In the past i have used the 2qt for a plain no-knead bread recipe that calls for 4 cups of flour. I’m worried that this recipe yields more dough and won’t fi in the 2qt, but will spread too far in the 6Qt and result in a squat loaf. Knowing what size you used would be most helpful in the instructions. Thank you!
I think a 2-quart pot will be too small. I use a 4.5 – 5 quart dutch oven and the dough fits perfectly. You can always divide the dough in half and make 2 small loaves of bread.
Thank you!
This loaf is so cute! i maDe it today and am looking forward to trying it. One PROBLEM I had Was the cotton string left fibers stuck on the crust. should i have maybe run some oil on the string first?
Yes, putting oil on the string helps a lot. Thanks for the great suggestion.
So is the oven temerpature 425 degress, and the second bake time is 15 to 20 minutes. the only oven temperature that i see is in the notes section
I’m so sorry. I completely neglected to add the temperature. I’ll correct that right now. Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention.
What a gorgeous loaf! What size pot do you use? I don’t own one, so will need to see about purchasing, unless this can be made without one. Thank you.
I use a 5-quart pot. You can use anything that can withstand the high oven heat with a lid. I have heard from people that used a crockpot insert with the lid. You can use a heavy pot with foil crimped around the edges if you don’t have a lid. The lid is required because it creates a steam oven inside the pot and that is what will give the bread its crisp crust. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Baking!
I have a QUESTION. How long is the secong baKe? I see “until golden” but whAt is thAt? 20min? Anothe 35?
It will take approximately 15-20 minutes. I hope this helps. If you have an instant-read thermometer, you can check for an internal temperature of 190-200℉.
I’m definitely a novice artisan bread maker but for my first try I’m very excited and pleased with the results. It’s a little BRickish, lol but smells great and looks fantastic.
This was so easy to put together, even tying the string around the DOUGH was no problem.
I haven’t tasted it yet, it’s cooling, but look forward to adding it to our spooky Halloween Dinner table tonight!
Thank you!
Can this be made with gluten free flour?
Hi Janet,
I love all your recipes, but this one didn’t tUrn out too well for me. Perhaps it was just too many risings, strings, etc. the bread was good but very dense. I like the flavors, especially the fruit ( trader joes) blueberry, cranb blend. Can i incorporate the same reciPe but use your old recipe with the usual time ( 12-18 hour ) rise on the counter, then bake?
Thank you,
Susan
I made this today, and it is delicious. One disappointment, though: My Loaf was denser than yours. What’s the secret to getting That Wonderful open crumb?
Perhaps this will help: 1) Don’t overwork the dough when shaping. Just gently form into a round ball. 2) Once formed and shaped let the dough rise a little longer. I hoping this will help. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
This looks delicious! I have a question on the 1st rising of thw doigh, is it ar room temperature or in the fridge?
Room temperature. Refrigerating will slow down the rise. Because the dough has a small amount of yeast the long rise will allow the dough to get nice and bubbly.
Yes! I Realized that, it just seems like 12-18 hours At room temperature is a lot. Usually those long proofing times are done in the fridge. I will be making this recipe this week! Thank you!
I was wonderIng if you can use all Purpose flour instead Of bread flour. I use all purpose for the regular no knead bread recipe. I was wondering what the difference Would be. Thank you.
Yes, you can. I used bread flour to help ensure a crisp crust. Bread flour is a stronger flour. You probably won’t notice a difference at all.
Cutest idea! Worked perfectly!