Updated: July 11, 2025

By Bake with Paws

Cute Halloween Pumpkin Sourdough Buns – Fluffy & Easy

Halloween is one of my favorite times to get creative in the kitchen, and what better way to celebrate than with these adorable Halloween Pumpkin Buns made with sourdough! Inspired by my love for festive baking and natural fermentation, these buns combine a fluffy, soft texture with the sweet, earthy taste of pumpkin puree.

Unlike traditional pumpkin breads that often use commercial yeast, these buns are naturally leavened using my Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter, making them softer, less tangy, and perfect for both kids and adults. They’re not only fun to make but also deliciously light and moist, with a subtle pumpkin flavor that’s enhanced by the fermentation process.

What Makes This Recipe Special:

✔️ Naturally Leavened: Made with sweet stiff starter for a mild, clean sourdough flavor without the tang.

✔️ Super Soft & Fluffy: Perfect texture that stays fresh longer thanks to natural fermentation and pumpkin puree.

✔️ Kid-Friendly: Fun pumpkin shape without artificial coloring—colored naturally with pumpkin puree.

✔️ Festive & Fun: Perfect for Halloween parties, fall gatherings, or as a creative weekend bake.

✔️ Versatile: Enjoy them plain, with butter, or filled with your favorite pumpkin cream or sweet paste.

How To Make Halloween Pumpkin Buns (Sourdough)

Ingredients (Yields: 12 Buns)

Sweet Stiff Starter:

60g sourdough starter (100% Hydration), preferably use at its peak

180g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)

85g milk or 75g water (I used full cream or whole milk)

30g sugar (I used organic brown sugar)

Main Dough:

140g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)
100g - 120g mashed pumpkin * (about 700g pumpkin - peeled, cut, steamed and mashed, balance use for the filling, try to squeeze or discard the water if possible)

All the sweet stiff starter
10g light brown sugar (please increase to your liking)

1 tsp salt

40g egg

30g butter

Pumpkin Filling:

300g mashed pumpkin

30g brown sugar or gula melaka (palm sugar)

50g whipping cream or heavy cream

1/8 tsp salt or to taste

Utensils:

3 cooking string or kitchen twine about 34 inches long and separate each string into 4 strands. Then soak the string in the oil for easy removal later (which I forgot to do). The reason I separated it is because the string is too tick for this small buns.

Baking tray, lined with parchment paper

12 cloves for decoration

* Depend on your flour, because each flour absorbs liquid and hydrates differently.

Step-By-Step Instruction

Sweet Stiff Starter

In a bowl of stand mixer, dilute starter with milk/water, stir in sugar and add in bread flour. Mix with paddle attachment until well mixed and all come together. It can be done by hand mixing too.
Cover and let it ferment until tripled. I prepared a night before and leave it in aircond room (approximately 24 - 25C room temperature) overnight until tripled. It took about 9 - 10 hours depending on your starter. It should take around 5 - 6 hours to get triple at room temperature at 28C - 30C.

Pumpkin Filling:

Add in all of the ingredients for the pumpkin filling and cook under low heat till reduced and thickened. Set aside to cool. (If you prefer the filling to be smoother, blend the mashed pumpkin and whipping cream with hand blender till smooth before cooking. You may prepare the filling one night in advance and store in fridge)

Main Dough:

Put all ingredients (except butter) into a bowl of stand mixer. I usually slightly torn the stiff starter dough first.
Slightly combine the mixture by hand with the paddle attachment before turning on the machine so that the flour will not splash out. Using the paddle attachment, mix for 2 minutes or until all incorporated. This step is critical to prevent an uneven mixed dough as the stiff starter is rather hard and a dough hook may not be able to mix it well enough.
Change to hook attachment and knead for another 3 minutes or until the dough comes together. Add in butter and continue knead for 10 - 12 minutes or until the dough become smooth, silky and reach window pane stage. The whole kneading process, I stopped few times to scrape down the dough from the hook to be sure it is evenly kneaded and also to prevent the motor from overheating.

1st Proofing/Resting:

In the same bowl, let the dough rest for 45 minutes. Keep it covered with clingfilm or use a lid. The dough rose slightly in 45 minutes.

To shape:

Transfer the dough onto a clean floured surface then divide into 12 equal portions.
Form each portion into a ball.
Flatten the dough and roll into a flat circle.
Place about 1 tablespoon of Pumpkin filling in the centre, wrap and seal, roll into a ball.
Use a string to tie around the dough ball as per the video.
Place bun onto the baking pan lined with non-stick baking paper. Make sure they are about 1 ½ to 2 inches apart.
Let it proof in a warm and dark place until the buns rises and starts to resemble a little pumpkin. My starter was very active and this one took approximately 2.5 hours at room temperature of 29C - 30C. It may take longer approx. 3 - 5 hours depending on your starter, environment and conditions.

To bake:

Bake in a preheated oven at 190C (top & bottom heat) or 170C (fan-forced) for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. I usually preheat the oven for 10 - 15 minutes before baking. Please rotate the tray half way of baking to make sure the buns are evenly baked.
Remove buns from oven and let them cool on rack. When the buns are cool enough to touch, remove the string by cutting off the top knot and bottom. Gently pull off the string one by one carefully. Stick a clove in the centre of the buns.

Pumpkin Filling

Sweet Stiff Starter

Main Dough, Shaping and Baking

Tips for Perfect Sourdough Pumpkin Buns

Sourdough Starter:

A healthy starter is essential for successful bread baking. To ensure your bread rises well, it's important to feed your starter regularly and use it (the levain) at its peak. A consistently fed starter will be more active and reliable. If the mother starter isn’t strong, the dough may still struggle to rise properly, even if the levain is used at its peak. For more information, click the links: "How To Make Sourdough Starter" and "Sourdough Maintenance".

Gluten Development:

Essential for soft, airy bread, gluten is created when flour hydrates. To develop it, use techniques like autolyse or kneading. The windowpane test checks readiness—dough should stretch thin without tearing. From my experience, high hydration dough with high percentage of fat will be easy to stretch and achieve a paper thin windowpane stage.

Kneading:

Please regard the timing provided as an indication only. It is only meant as a guide. Times vary by flour and mixer type. For higher fat dough, knead longer (18–20 minutes).

Flour & Hydration:

Use high-gluten flour for optimal texture. Always reserve some liquid to adjust dough consistency for best results. If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency.

Dough Temperature:

Maintaining the right dough temperature during kneading is crucial for a fine crumb. If the dough becomes too warm, the crumb will become too big and uneven. To prevent this, use cold water, milk, or eggs, and chill your mixing bowl or hook attachment in the freezer. Knead at low speeds, and if your kitchen is warm, rest the dough in a cooler spot. Proper dough temperature ensures a soft, fluffy bread with a fine, even crumb.

Proofing:

Proofing time depends on your environment. Use the finger poke test to gauge readiness. To check dough readiness, lightly press the side with your finger:

If it bounces back instantly, it’s under-proofed and needs more time.
If the indentation stays, it’s over-proofed.
If the indentation slowly bounces back, it’s ready to bake.
There’s also a final rise called oven spring when the dough bakes, which adds to the bread’s height.

Wrinkle Top or Shrinking:

If your bread collapses or develops wrinkles on top after baking, it might be over-proofed during the second rise. Aim for the dough to rise to 80-90% of its final size or just below the rim of the pan to prevent this. Over-proofing leads to weaker structure, causing the bread to lose shape.

Baking & Oven Temperarate:

Do also note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.

Troubleshooting (FAQs):

1. Why is my dough sticky?

Pumpkin puree adds moisture, making the dough slightly sticky. Lightly oil your hands and work surface to handle the dough easily.

2. Can I make this without a sweet stiff starter?

This recipe is specially developed for sweet stiff starter to give a softer crumb and mild flavor. If using a liquid starter, adjust hydration and proofing time.

3. My buns lost their pumpkin shape while baking—what happened?

Ensure the twine or string is tied firmly but not too tight. Also, proof the buns just right—over-proofing may cause them to lose shape during baking.

5. Can I make these without pumpkin puree?

For the festive pumpkin look and moist texture, pumpkin puree is key. But you could try sweet potato puree as a substitute.

Have a question about this recipe or anything else on the blog?

Feel free to leave your thoughts or questions in the “Leave a Comment” section below—I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!

If you try this recipe, I’d love to see your creations. Tag me on Instagram @Bakewithpaws so I can share your beautiful bakes!

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More Recipes to Try:

If you enjoyed these Halloween Pumpkin Buns, you might also love these other soft and fluffy sourdough bakes:

Soft Sourdough Pumpkin Loaf – Light, moist, and perfect for autumn.

Orange Cranberry Soft Sourdough Bread – A fragrant, festive loaf with a burst of cranberries.

Sweet Potato Sourdough Buns – Soft and naturally sweet buns perfect for breakfast.

Sourdough Shokupan – Japanese milk bread with a pillow-soft texture.

Chocolate Sourdough Bread – Rich, chocolatey, and irresistible.

Happy baking! 🧡

Comments

heraOctober 26, 2020 at 7:50 AM
looks very yummy , it is need brush with egg wash before baked ?
YanOctober 28, 2020 at 4:02 AM
Lovely! Can I make it into one giant pumpkin as a display piece?
UnknownNovember 20, 2020 at 5:22 PM
Hi I noticed this recipe also calls for sourdough starter. I don’t have sd starter , what can I do to get started. I am the very very forgetful type so it’s impossible to prepare the starter which needs to be fed everyday and I don’t bake often so after preparing the starter it will be a waste if I don’t look after it isn’t it ?
opus101April 21, 2022 at 2:38 AM
May I know the day time ratio for the sweet stiff starter?

BAKE WITH PAWS

Halloween Pumpkin Buns (Sourdough) – Soft & Fluffy

Cute Halloween Pumpkin Sourdough Buns – Fluffy & Easy

What Makes This Recipe Special: