The Prayer Porch

Tag: fall baking

  • Autumn-Inspired Pumpkin Shaped Sourdough

    Autumn-Inspired Pumpkin Shaped Sourdough

    This is a softly spiced sourdough loaf. It bakes up golden and tender. The loaf is shaped like a pumpkin, making it perfect for autumn gatherings or a cozy weekend bake. You will want to start this recipe early in the morning to allow time to bulk ferment.
    Day 1: Follow these directions
    Day 2: Bake

    Ingredients:

    • 4 cups all-purpose flour (I always use King Arthur flour)
    • ½ cup active sourdough starter (bubbly and recently fed) *see note at the end of the recipe
    • 1 cup + 1 tablespoon water
    • ½ cup pumpkin purée
    • 1 ¾ teaspoons salt
    • 2 teaspoons sugar
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    Directions:

    ➤ Combine the ingredients

    In a large bowl, mix together the flour, starter, water, and pumpkin purée. Add salt, sugar, and cinnamon until it forms a shaggy dough. No kneading needed – just mix until combined. Cover and let rest (autolyse) for about 30 minutes.

    ➤ Stretch and fold

    Over the next few hours, do 4–6 stretch and folds, about 20 minutes apart. Gently pull the dough upward from one side. Fold it over the center. Turn the bowl a quarter turn each time.

    ➤ Bulk ferment

    Cover the dough tightly with a lid or plastic wrap. Let it rise at room temperature for 8 hours or until doubled in size.

    ➤ Shape and chill
    Shape into a smooth ball and place in a floured round bread proofing basket. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

    🎃 The Pumpkin Shape

    Preheat your cast iron Dutch oven to 450°F. Cut four 18-inch pieces of food-grade cotton string (not twine) and arrange them in a crisscross pattern on parchment paper.

    Remove your dough from the refrigerator and place it top-side down on the strings. Tie the strings gently around the loaf to create eight even pumpkin-like sections.
    Reduce oven temperature to 425°F and bake. Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. Then, bake for another 20 minutes with the lid off. Allow the loaf to cool completely before removing the strings. Slice the bread after cooling.

    Notes 🧡

    Use food-grade cotton string — not kitchen twine or synthetic thread (they can melt or burn).
    Make sure your starter is lively and bubbly before beginning; this recipe relies entirely on natural fermentation for rise.
    For a rustic finish, brush the cooled loaf with a little melted butter. Tuck a cinnamon stick in the top to complete the “pumpkin stem.”

    🌾 Making Your Own Sourdough Starter

    If you don’t yet have a starter, you can create one easily at home with just flour, water, and patience. Combine ½ cup of whole wheat or all-purpose flour with ¼ cup of water in a clean glass jar. Stir well, cover loosely, and let it rest at room temperature. Each day, discard half and feed with the same amounts of fresh flour and water. Within 5–7 days, it will become bubbly and fragrant. This is your living, breathing leaven. It’s ready to bring new life to every loaf.

  • Apple Cider Mini Donuts 🍎

    Apple Cider Mini Donuts 🍎

    There’s something cozy and comforting about the smell of apple cider and cinnamon baking in the oven. These soft, sugar–coated donuts are a sweet reminder to slow down and savor the simple gifts of the season.

    Ingredients:

    • 1/2 cup fresh apple cider
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
    • 1 large egg
    • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/2 cup milk
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Cinnamon Sugar Topping:

    • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
    • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

    Directions:

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a donut pan. ⬅️ (affiliate link)

    In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

    Add melted butter, egg, sugars, milk, vanilla, and apple cider.

    Stir until smooth. The batter will be thick.

    Spoon or pipe batter into the pan, filling about halfway.
    Note: I put the donut batter into a gallon size Ziploc bag. Cut the corner to pipe into the pan.

    Bake 10–11 minutes, or until donuts spring back when touched.
    Cool for a few minutes.

    For topping: mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
    Dip each donut in melted butter, then coat with the cinnamon-sugar!

    They are the best served warm!

    A Porch Reflection 🌿

    Baking these donuts fills the house with a sweetness that lingers long after they’re gone. Life with God is much the same – He sprinkles grace and joy into even our ordinary days ✨

    With love, from the porch,
    Laura

  • Welcoming the Season of Change

    Welcoming the Season of Change

    The seasons are shifting again. Summer’s warmth is slowly giving way to crisp mornings, shorter days, and the golden glow of fall. This change always stirs something in me. It’s an invitation to pause, to breathe, and to notice how God moves through the rhythms of creation.

    Just as the trees release their leaves, we are reminded that change is part of life. Sometimes it’s gentle, sometimes it’s hard, but always, God is faithful in the turning of each season. Fall invites us to slow down, savor small joys, and find gratitude even in the letting go.

    And what better way to mark the season than with something warm from the oven? Apples are the heart of autumn, and these apple scones capture the cozy comfort of fall days on the porch. Let them remind you of the sweetness God weaves into every season and feel blessed ✨

    Apple Cinnamon Scones with Brown Sugar Glaze 🍎

    Ingredients for the Scones:

    • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ tablespoon baking powder
    • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • ½ cup chilled butter, grated
    • 2 cups diced apple
    • ½ cup sourdough discard (or 1/2 cup Greek vanilla yogurt)
    • ½ cup applesauce
    • 1 egg
    • 4 tablespoons sweet cream

    Brown Sugar Glaze:

    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 tablespoons melted butter
    • ¾ cup brown sugar
    • ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
    • 2 tablespoons sweet cream
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • Pinch of salt

    Directions:

    Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

    Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture. Toss until the butter pieces are evenly coated.

    Dice apples and add them on top of the flour mixture. Set aside.

    In a separate bowl, whisk together sourdough discard (or Greek yogurt), applesauce, sweet cream, egg, and vanilla until smooth.

    Gently fold wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened (scone dough should resemble pie dough, not cookie dough – don’t over mix!).

    Pat dough into a 7-inch circle on parchment paper. Fold circle in half and in half again. Reshape into a 7- inch circle allowing the dough layers to stay. Cut into 8 wedges with a bench scraper, or into 16 squares from an 8-inch square.

    Place parchment on a baking sheet. Chill dough in the freezer for 5 minutes while the oven preheats to 375°F. Bake 15–17 minutes, until edges are crisp and centers are cooked through.

    While scones bake, whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth.

    Drizzle glaze over warm scones. Enjoy fresh or wrap individually to keep scones fresh for a few days.

    As you savor these apple scones, let they remind you that change, though sometimes bittersweet, often brings new beauty. Just as the apples ripen in their time, good things are being ripened in each of us by God. This happens even in the letting go. 🍂