EWTN News explains: How is Catholic Communion bread made?
The article explains that Catholic communion hosts must be unleavened, made from only wheat and water, as mandated by canon 924, and cannot contain yeast or other additives. It describes the manufacturing process: special baking machines produce thin wafer sheets, which are moistened before cutting into round hosts, ensuring they don’t shatter. Low‑gluten hosts are produced by removing most gluten from wheat starches, and the Vatican requires that hosts contain some wheat to remain valid. A recent shortage of hosts in Cuba highlighted the practical importance of reliable production, with local monasteries facing power issues.
about 2 months ago
Catholic Communion hosts must be made of only wheat and water, baked thin and unleavened, and produced under strict canonical and reverent guidelines; modern bakeries use specialized machines to ensure uniformity, while low‑gluten options exist for those with dietary needs, and occasional shortages—such as the recent Cuban crisis—prompt emergency shipments from neighboring dioceses. 1
The Code of Canon Law (canon 924) permits hosts to contain only wheat flour and water; any leavening agents, salt, honey, or other additives are forbidden because the Last Supper’s bread was unleavened. 1
The Church also mandates that hosts be “recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling,” and that they be produced by individuals of integrity and skill using suitable tools, as reiterated in Redemptionis Sacramentum (2004). 1
Bakeries employ machines with two plates that close on the batter, creating a thin wafer sheet. The sheet is moistened in a dampener to prevent shattering, then cut into round hosts of various sizes for lay communicants and larger portions for clergy. 1
The resulting hosts are characteristically flat because they are unleavened; the thinness is largely a product of the specialized equipment rather than theological intent. 1
Some producers, such as the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Missouri, offer low‑gluten hosts made from wheat starches with most gluten removed. The Church does not specify an exact wheat percentage, only that some wheat must be present for validity. 1
Special cutters allow the creation of smaller hosts for the faithful and larger ones for priests and bishops, accommodating different liturgical needs. 1
In June 2026, Cuba experienced a shortage of hosts due to unreliable power at the Monastery of Santa Teresa and San José, where the Discalced Carmelites produce the island’s hosts. Panama and Puerto Rico responded by sending 35,000 and 300,000 hosts respectively, underscoring the essential role of the host in the celebration of the Eucharist. 1
The Church emphasizes reverence at every stage, from the integrity of the bakers to the handling of the finished hosts, reflecting the belief that the bread becomes the Body of Christ during the Mass. 1*
Examine canon 924’s criteria for communion hosts and their theological significance
Canon 924 establishes the matter required for the Eucharistic sacrifice: wheat bread and grape wine, with a small quantity of water mixed into the wine. These requirements are not arbitrary ceremonial preferences; they safeguard the sacrament’s validity and preserve the Eucharist instituted by Christ.
Canon 924 §2 states that “the bread must be only wheat.” The host must therefore be genuinely wheat bread, not bread made from another grain or from a substantially different substance.
The Church’s liturgical legislation explains the consequence:
“Bread made from another substance, even if it is grain, or if it is mixed with another substance different from wheat to such an extent that it would not commonly be considered wheat bread, does not constitute valid matter.”
This excludes hosts made primarily from rice, corn, oats, or other grains. It also excludes substantial additions that alter the character of the bread. Fruit, sugar, honey, or similar ingredients may not be introduced into the bread used for consecration; doing so is described as a grave abuse.
The issue is not that these substances are inherently bad. Rather, the sacramental sign must remain what Christ instituted: bread from wheat. The Church does not possess authority to replace the essential matter of a sacrament with something else.
Canon 924 itself says that the bread must be wheat and recently made, but it does not expressly include the word “unleavened.” For the Latin Church, however, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal specifies:
“The bread for celebrating the Eucharist must be made only from wheat, must be recently baked, and, according to the ancient tradition of the Latin Church, must be unleavened.”
The discipline is repeated in Redemptionis Sacramentum, which says that the bread must be “unleavened, purely of wheat, and recently made.” Thus, ordinary Latin-rite hosts are made without yeast.
This does not mean that leavened bread is universally invalid throughout Catholic Christianity. Most Eastern Catholic Churches traditionally use leavened wheat bread, while the Latin Church and the Armenian tradition use unleavened bread. The Eastern canonical tradition directs each Church sui iuris—that is, each autonomous Eastern Catholic Church—to preserve its inherited practice.
Accordingly, the difference between leavened and unleavened bread is principally a matter of legitimate liturgical tradition, provided that the bread is truly wheat bread. It should not be turned into a denial of the Eucharistic faith of the other Catholic traditions.
Canon 924 §2 also requires that the bread be “recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling.” This requirement has both a practical and sacramental rationale. The bread must remain genuinely bread and must not be corrupted or decomposed.
The Church therefore requires hosts to be prepared and preserved with care. Redemptionis Sacramentum adds that those who make them should be persons of integrity, properly skilled, and equipped with suitable tools. This indicates that Eucharistic preparation is not treated as ordinary commercial production. It is a service to the Church’s sacramental life and must be carried out reverently and reliably.
Although the question concerns hosts, canon 924 governs both elements of the Eucharistic sacrifice. The wine must be:
These requirements appear in canon 924 §§1 and 3. The Church excludes beverages made from other fruits, artificial wine, and all substitutes, because they are not the matter instituted by Christ.
The addition of water is not an optional embellishment in the Latin rite. Canon 924 §1 requires that “a little water must be mixed” with the wine. Redemptionis Sacramentum likewise states that a small quantity of water is to be mixed with the wine during the celebration. The Eastern Churches have some differing disciplinary provisions regarding this practice, especially because the Armenian Church does not use the same norm; this illustrates that not every liturgical detail has identical juridical expression across Catholic rites.
The Catechism identifies the essential signs of the Eucharist as:
“Wheat bread and grape wine, on which the blessing of the Holy Spirit is invoked and the priest pronounces the words of consecration spoken by Jesus during the Last Supper.”
The Church’s regulations concerning hosts therefore serve the principle that a sacrament must be celebrated with the matter and form entrusted by Christ. The Eucharist is not a symbolic meal whose basic elements may be changed according to local preference. Its visible signs are part of the apostolic faith.
Bread and wine remain perceptible to the senses, but through consecration their substance is changed into Christ’s Body and Blood. The Catechism of the Council of Trent explains that although no external change is visible, the substance of the bread and wine is truly changed into Christ’s flesh and blood.
The use of genuine bread and genuine wine makes this mystery intelligible. The Eucharist is not a theatrical representation or a merely subjective reminder. It is the sacramental presence of Christ under the appearances of food and drink. The material requirements protect the distinction between:
Bread and wine are ordinary elements that sustain human life. Their use in the Eucharist signifies that Christ is the true nourishment of the human person. The Council of Trent describes the elements as fitting signs because the Body of Christ nourishes believers unto eternal life, just as ordinary food sustains bodily life.
This symbolism is especially important for the host. The host is not simply an object associated with Jesus; after consecration, it is Christ truly present under the appearance of bread. The ordinary character of wheat bread points to Christ’s self-gift as spiritual food.
The Council of Trent also connects bread and wine with ecclesial unity. Bread is produced from many grains, and wine from many grapes; these therefore signify that the many members of the Church are joined into one Body.
The host consequently has a communal significance. It is received individually, but it incorporates the communicant into Christ and into the Church. The Eucharist is not merely a private devotional experience. It both expresses and strengthens communion with Christ and with those who belong to His Body.
Within the Latin tradition, unleavened bread has long been associated with the biblical Passover and with Christ’s sinlessness. The historical theological discussion is not entirely uniform, and the Eastern Churches have developed their own symbolism for leavened bread. Nevertheless, the Latin tradition sees unleavened bread as fittingly expressing the purity of Christ’s Body and the call to sincerity and truth.
This symbolism should be understood as a theological fittingness, not as a claim that leaven itself is evil or that Eastern Catholic use of leavened bread is somehow less Catholic. The different traditions express complementary aspects of the Eucharistic mystery while preserving the essential requirement of wheat bread.
A useful distinction is required:
Bread that is not wheat bread is not valid matter for the Eucharist. By contrast, a Latin-rite violation involving the proper form or preparation of the bread may raise questions of lawfulness even when the material remains recognizably wheat bread. The Church nevertheless treats such violations seriously because careless treatment of the Eucharistic matter can obscure faith in the sacrament and endanger reverence for the Real Presence.
This is particularly relevant to hosts for people with celiac disease. The governing principle remains that the host must be wheat bread; a host completely free of gluten cannot constitute valid matter under the cited norms. The Church’s regulations, however, recognize the need for suitable pastoral care, including the use of low-gluten hosts where they are genuinely wheat bread and can be received safely. The specific pastoral decision should be made with the person’s pastor and, where necessary, competent medical advice.
Canon 924 requires Eucharistic bread to be wheat, recently made, and protected from spoilage; in the Latin Church it is also unleavened according to the Roman liturgical tradition. These criteria preserve the sacramental institution of Christ, safeguard validity, express the Real Presence, signify spiritual nourishment, and point to the unity of the Church. The rules are therefore not technical restrictions detached from theology: they protect the integrity of the Eucharistic sign and the Church’s faith that, through consecration, Christ becomes truly present under the appearances of bread and wine.