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Recipe: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

With both Halloween and Thanksgiving coming up, chances are you’ll be looking to make some homemade pumpkin bread soon.

Here is a recipe I discovered to make gluten-free pumpkin bread. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Pumpkin Bread Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup sorghum flour
  • 1/2 cup potato starch flour
  • 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon xantham gum
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
  • 1/3 cup water

Pumpkin Bread Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the brown rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch flour, 11/2 cups sugar, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and xantham gum.
  2. In a separate bowl, cream together the remaining 11/2 cups of sugar and vegetable oil. Add eggs, unsweetened pumpkin puree, and water. Add flour mixture to batter and mix until well-blended. Stir in the pecans and raisins. Put the mixture in a Silicon loaf pan or regular pan lined with parchment paper.
  3. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

If you’d like to check out other recipe ideas, check out our gluten-free recipes page!

CSA Gluten-Free Product Listing

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 1 Comment

Looking for an all-inclusive list of gluten-free products? Unfortunately, I don’t think something like that exists, but one of the best resources I’ve found to date is the CSA Gluten-Free Product Listing (binder or CD) that is available from CSA Celiacs.

The listing is researched yearly and compiled by CSA National Headquarters staff, with input from manufacturers, vendors, distributors, diet and health professionals, CSA chapters, and members.

The listing includes the following:

  • Wide variety of gluten-free products—both store brands and national brands
  • Descriptions/contact information for businesses specializing in gluten-free products
  • Expanded glossary of terms
  • Celiac-friendly business listings by state
  • Call numbers for commercial food and pharmaceutical companies
  • Informational sections on label reading, the celiac kitchen, dining and travel, hospital stay preparation, and diet self-management

They are currently working on the 13th edition, so it has been around for quite a while (as long as I can remember). I’ve always gotten the binder and it is bulky but is great to have. Just don’t plan on taking it to the grocery store with you.

Low Gluten Bread for Catholic Communions

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

There has long been a problem for Celiacs who attend a Catholic church, as in keeping with the belief that Jesus used wheaten bread at the Last Supper, the Catholic Church has required that bread used for communion be made with wheat and contain gluten.

So, what is the solution? Apparently, it is a low-gluten altar bread that has 0.01% gluten in it.

According to the Catholic church:

Having reviewed the laboratory reports you sent, which set the amount of gluten in these altar breads at 0.01%, I am pleased to state that these special hosts are indeed made according to the requirements of both the Code of Canon Law (c.924) and the special considerations set out by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, in his July 24, 2003 letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conferences (Prot. N. 89/78-17498) and may be validly used at Mass in the diocese of the United States with appropriate permission.

This way it meets the Catholic church’s requirement of containing wheat, but according to a huge number of testimonials, it doesn’t seem to cause problems for people with Celiac Disease.

Here is the official response from the Celiac community:

The measurement cited here, 0.01%, represents 10 PPMs (parts per million).  But the more important number is 37 micrograms, because it is daily exposure to gluten that counts.  The best current information shows that 10 milligrams a day should be safe.

Ten milligrams is the same as 10,000 micrograms.  If you divide 37 micrograms into 10,000 micrograms, you will find that you would have to eat 270 wafers every day to reach the danger point.  At most, celiacs would consume one wafer per day or about 0.04% (four tenths of one percent) of the amount considered dangerous.

Have any of our Catholic readers tried this bread? Let us know your experiences in the comments below!

Gluten-Free Pasta Sauces

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 3 Comments

With all the great gluten-free pasta choices out there, you can eat pasta for dinner any night of the week. Just pair up your favorite gluten-free pasta with one of these great gluten-free pasta sauces from Heinz.

As always, make sure to read the label every time you buy one to ensure your favorite Heinz sauce is still gluten-free.

Gluten-Free Pasta Sauces

Classico Red

  • Fire Roasted Tomato & Garlic
  • Four Cheese
  • Italian Sausage
  • Mushroom and Ripe Olives
  • Roasted Garlic
  • Spicy Red Pepper
  • Spicy Tomato & Pesto
  • Spinach and Cheese
  • Sun Dried Tomato
  • Tomato & Basil
  • Cabernet Marinara
  • Triple Mushroom
  • Traditional Sweet Basil
  • Vodka Sauce
  • Spicy Tomato Basil
  • Caramelized Onion & Roasted Garlic
  • Organic Tomato Herbs & Spices
  • Organic Spinach & Garlic
  • Marinara w/ Plum Tomatoes & Olive Oil

Classico Alfredo

  • Roasted Garlic Alfredo
  • Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo
  • Four Cheese Alfredo
  • Creamy Alfredo
  • Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo
  • Mushroom Alfredo

Classico Pesto

  • Basil Pesto
  • Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
  • Bruschetta Tomato Basil
  • Bruschetta Extra Garlic

Newman’s Own

  • ALL Flavors

Learning How to Read Grocery Labels

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

If you are new to Celiac Disease, the first and most important thing you need to learn is how to understand food labels.  More specifically, you need to learn how to find the most notable gluten-containing grains (wheat, barley, rye, and oats), which are often hidden in products.

The safety of oats in the celiac diet has been under a great deal of debate for as long as I can remember. Some celiacs cannot tolerate oats because oats contain a protein similar to that in gluten. In addition, cross-contamination with other grains can occur during processing. There are a few companies that manufacture a gluten-free oat, but it must say so on the label.  Millet and sorghum are other grains that have not been tested for gluten but are tolerated by many celiacs as they are more botanically similar to corn than wheat.

Some other notable gluten-containing grains include:

  • Bran
  • Couscous
  • Semolina
  • Kamut
  • Spelt
  • Matzo
  • Pasta
  • Triticale
  • Sprouted wheat
  • Udon
  • Seitan
  • Malt, malt flavoring, or malt vinegar

Easy enough, right?  Unfortunately, there are also many situations where the source of gluten is not so obvious. Many other types of foods and food additives contain gluten.

Hidden sources of gluten include:

  • Soy sauce
  • Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
  • Breading
  • Imitation meat, bacon, and seafood
  • Processed lunch meats
  • Gravies and marinades
  • Some salad dressings
  • Stuffing, dressings
  • Thickeners
  • Some drugs, over-the-counter medications, and vitamins
  • Broth, soup bases
  • Communion wafers
  • Ketchup
  • Mustard
  • Vinegar
  • Horseradish
  • Some peanut butter and “dry roasted” peanuts
  • Modified food starch
  • Artificial flavoring or coloring

Now this list was not designed to be “all-inclusive”, but it should serve as a starting guide to reading grocery labels and finding all those pesky glutens.

If you have anything to add, feel free to do so in the comments below!