Bread Dumpling

High FODMAP

Serving sizes

Bread Dumpling changes rating with portion size. Its rating is estimated from what it is made of, so the servings are described rather than weighed.

Small serving Moderate
Moderate serving High
Large serving High

Fructans

Bread dumplings are High FODMAP, since they're built from wheat bread that brings a fermentable load along for the ride.

The wheat base carries Fructans, which climb fast with portion size: even a small serving lands at moderate, and a moderate or large serving reaches high.
These turn up alongside roasts and stews as a soft, doughy side, and any wheat-based version behaves the same way, so it's really the bread doing the work here.

For a lighter side that soaks up gravy just as well, try plain rice or a mash of low-FODMAP potato instead.

Why bread dumpling is rated high

Bread dumplings are high FODMAP because they are built from wheat bread, and wheat carries fructans. The rating is estimated from what the dumpling is made of rather than from a measured serving. Even the bottom rung is not low: a Small serving reads MODERATE, and both a Moderate serving and a Large serving read HIGH. Since the whole dumpling is essentially soaked and bound wheat bread, there is no part of it that escapes the fructans, and simmering it does not break them down.

What changes your risk

Serving size A Small serving is MODERATE and a Moderate serving is already HIGH, so this side dish moves into high territory at an ordinary helping.
Onion in the mix Many recipes fold sautéed onion into the bread before shaping, which adds more fructans to a dumpling that already has plenty.
The gravy or broth Dumplings are usually served with a gravy or in a broth built on onion and stock. Fructans are water-soluble, so they move out of the onion into that liquid, and spooning the gravy over adds to the load.
The bread you start with A dumpling made from gluten free bread, or from a genuine long-fermented sourdough spelt loaf, starts from a much lower base than one made from ordinary yeasted wheat rolls. Fast "sourdough flavoured" bread does not count.
Stacking wheat A bread dumpling next to a wheat-flour thickened gravy, a breaded cutlet or a wheat dessert piles up fructans across the whole meal.

Swaps

The most honest swap is to keep the dumpling and change the bread: dumplings made from stale gluten free bread hold together well with egg and absorb gravy the same way. Traditional sourdough spelt bread is another option for a closer flavour. If you would rather skip the dumpling, plain boiled potato, mashed potato made with lactose-free milk, rice or soft polenta all fill the role of something starchy to soak up a roast's juices. Avoid rye or barley based dumplings and semolina dumplings as substitutes, since they come from the same fructan-carrying grains.

How to lower the load

For a low FODMAP version, cube gluten free bread and let it dry out overnight, then soak it in lactose-free milk and egg, and season with chives, parsley, the green tops of spring onions and a little nutmeg instead of onion. Fry the herbs in garlic-infused oil or butter first for depth. Simmer the dumplings gently in salted water rather than in a stock made with onion. Make the gravy from pan juices and homemade stock thickened with cornflour, and leave out onion and garlic. When eating out, assume a restaurant bread dumpling contains both wheat bread and onion.

Common questions

are bread dumplings low fodmap

No. Bread dumplings are high FODMAP overall because the wheat bread brings fructans, a rating estimated from what they are made of. A Small serving reads MODERATE, and a Moderate serving or a Large serving reads HIGH.

are bread dumplings high in fructans

Yes. The wheat bread that makes up the dumpling carries fructans, and onion folded into many recipes adds more.

does boiling bread dumplings lower fodmaps

No. Heat does not break down fructans, so simmering the dumpling does not lower its load. Fructans can move into cooking liquid, which is why onion-based broths and gravies served with dumplings carry fructans of their own.

what is a low fodmap alternative to bread dumplings

Dumplings made from gluten free bread are the closest swap. Plain potato, mashed potato with lactose-free milk, rice or soft polenta also work as a side to soak up gravy.

Learn more

Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.

Bread Dumpling is an estimated rating: it is inferred from the food's ingredients and composition and cross-checked, not measured directly in the papers below. The low, moderate and high cutoffs are still those of Varney et al. (2017).

References

Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian vegetables and fruit. Muir et al. (2007), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(16):6619-6627.
Measurement of short-chain carbohydrates in common Australian vegetables and fruits by HPLC. Muir et al. (2009), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(2):554-565.
Quantification of fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides and other short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals. Biesiekierski et al. (2011), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 24(2):154-176.
Dietary sorbitol and mannitol: food content and distinct absorption patterns. Yao et al. (2014), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 27(Suppl 2):263-275.
FODMAPs: food composition, defining cutoff values and international application. Varney et al. (2017), J. Gastroenterology and Hepatology 32(Suppl 1):53-61. Supplies the low, moderate and high cutoffs used on this page.