Need Communion Wafer Recipe.....

[Canadian Karen]

I am Catholic. I have had much resentment in the last year or so due to the Catholic Church's unwillingness to waver on the gluten-free host. I haven't been to church for months.

I went today to watch my 9 yr old Rhiannon at mass as she was doing a reading and also, she's in the choir. (My hubby takes the kids every Sunday to church, but I don't go with them.....). Well, after the service today, I asked the priest if I could talk to him and asked him if any others in his congregation have discussed celiac disease with him or asked for an alternate host. He said no, although he knew what celiac disease was. I stated that I have been unable to receive the host due to this disease. He said "Are you okay with rice?" I said "I sure am". He said "Do you make your own bread?" I said "Yep". He said, "Problem solved, just bring in some of your bread or something made with rice flour that resembles the host, and I will bless it for communion for you".

Simple as that.

I explained to him I was reluctant to talk to him about this since the church doesn't allow for anything but wheat hosts. He said, "Well, that's just plain silly. I won't tell, and you won't tell! What's important is you being included in celebrating God".......

My faith in the Catholic church has been restored. Well, maybe not the church, but the individual priests anyway!

So, my question is: Does anyone have a "recipe" for a communion host?

Hugs.

Karen

[FeedIndy]

I can't help with a recipe, but I do know they are out there! I am not Catholic, but we do celebrate Communion on special occasions. Good Friday being one of them, I spoke to my church about it and they immediately brought gluten free communion wafers out to me. I attend a very large church so the situation has obviously come up before. I hope you find something that works for you!

[Nantzie]

I also don't have a recipe, but I just wanted to let you know how happy I am that your priest is encouraging you in this way.

Nancy

[lonewolf]

Karen, I know that there is a recipe for gluten-free Matzoh in this section from before Passover. That would be a great thing to use, since it's what Jesus used in the last supper (I do know that His wasn't gluten-free). I was thinking of doing the same thing, since I haven't had communion in years. I'm not Catholic, so I don't think it would be a big deal in my church.

[debmidge]

how about using those round rice crackers from the store?

[zansu]

Ener-G sells a gluten-free communion host. Cokesbury carries it in their catalog with all the other communion supplies (Open Original Shared Link) but I bet some of these gluten-free retailers also sell it. I think I even saw it at one of the health food stores around here.

Sorry it's not showing as a link, but I went to cokesbury and used "gluten" as my search.

Ingredients

Filtered Water, Sweet Rice Flour, Potato Flour, Palm Oil, Potato Starch, Methylcellulose, Sunflower Lecithin, Ener-G Baking Powder (sodium pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, potato starch, monocalcium phosphate).

Free Of

gluten, wheat, casein, dairy, nut, egg, corn, yeast, soy

[gfp]

Karen, if its yours and your priests opinion it doesn't matter then I'd say just make a very simple flatbread of just rice flour and water... its only a taste so its not like you need something gourmet.....just something you can bake into a decent roundish shape...

You could also just use plain cornmeal as well.... like making a tortilla though obviously it will be yellowish....but the same method making a corn tortilla should work pretty much the same with rice flour....

I'd just stick the oven on and mix up varying degrees of rice flour and water on a non stick sheet and see which mix works best

p.s. wish my moms priest had said the same to her!

[jerseyangel]

I have the recipe I used years ago--it calls for wheat flour.

I'm sure it could be adapted--if you want, I'll post it.

[Canadian Karen]

Sure! Post it! It will help me with my "experiments"!!!! LOL!

Steve, I will try not to burn the kitchen down with my baking!

p.s. Couldn't resist!

Karen

[gfp]

Sure! Post it! It will help me with my "experiments"!!!! LOL!

Steve, I will try not to burn the kitchen down with my baking!

p.s. Couldn't resist!

Karen

LOL ...Ok found it

....hope you weren't offended when I said they don't need to be gourmet

[jerseyangel]

Sure! Post it! It will help me with my "experiments"!!!! LOL!

Steve, I will try not to burn the kitchen down with my baking!

p.s. Couldn't resist!

Karen

Here ya go--

Host

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 tbsp. baking powder

3 tbsp. shortening

1/4 cup honey

1 1/4 cups hot water

Mix flours, baking powder and shortening. Add honey and water. Knead lightly until smooth.

Spread onto baking sheet 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Bake at 350 for 15-25 minutes, until it sounds hollow when tapped.

Like I said, this is the original recipe given to me many years ago by a nun who helped come up with it. Maybe you can use it or parts of it as a guideline for making it gluten-free. A place to start, anyway...

[gfp]

As I remember the unleavened bread part is only a fairly modern part... (Orthodox Chrisitans I think use leavened normal bread) and I don't think anywhere it matters since its meaning is symbolic* so you can always just take a small cut square or circle (using the baking cutters) of plain rice bread...

* I don't want to argue about this and I doubt Karen does.... Karen and her priest are happy to accept its symbolic so it's between them and up to use to provide possible ways to do it IMHO...

[GlutenFree Mommy]

I am Catholic and my priest allows me to use a rice cracker. The only catch is you have to put the whole thing in your mouth. I would like to make my own, but these are great for now.

[jerseyangel]

As I remember the unleavened bread part is only a fairly modern part... (Orthodox Chrisitans I think use leavened normal bread) and I don't think anywhere it matters since its meaning is symbolic* so you can always just take a small cut square or circle (using the baking cutters) of plain rice bread...

* I don't want to argue about this and I doubt Karen does.... Karen and her priest are happy to accept its symbolic so it's between them and up to use to provide possible ways to do it IMHO...

I wasn't trying to argue, Karen asked for my recipe, so I posted it.

[MinaSteele]

GLUTEN FREE ALTAR BREADS*

FOR COMMUNICANTS ALLERGIC TO WHEAT

WASHINGTON WAFERS (LEAVENED)

(This recipe originated with the Washington Celiac Support Group)

2 tablespoons potato starch

7/8 cup cornstarch (7/8 cup is equal to 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons)

3 cups brown or white rice flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons xanthan gum

[Kristin2]

GLUTEN FREE ALTAR BREADS*

FOR COMMUNICANTS ALLERGIC TO WHEAT

WASHINGTON WAFERS (LEAVENED)

(This recipe originated with the Washington Celiac Support Group)

2 tablespoons potato starch

7/8 cup cornstarch (7/8 cup is equal to 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons)

3 cups brown or white rice flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons xanthan gum

[Kristin2]

I'm not catholic, but at my church communion is served every week. Along with actual bread, there are rice checs placed on the tray. I've seen people in our congregation who don't have gluten issues use them. They are small enough to fit in your mouth, and are easier for arthritic hands to pick up.