Curved Leavened Dough Shaping for Even Baking

Solution Overview

Problem

The existing processes for producing leavened dough, leavened puff pastry, and puff pastry products require lengthy proofing times and consume significant energy, and the fragility of fresh dough limits handling and transportation.

Innovation Solution

A process involving shaping the dough into a curved or corrugated form and baking it in an upright position, allowing hot air to circulate through the formed channels, which enhances heat distribution and reduces baking time, improving the volume, appearance, and evenness of the final product.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If the dough is proven for a lengthy period (1-3 hours) in a proving chamber, then the dough achieves proper leavening and volume, but the energy consumption increases and the process time is extended

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedough volumeVSAvoidproving chamber energy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSUse of energy by stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The dough is shaped into a curved form with channels before baking, preparing the structure in advance to allow hot air circulation during the baking process. This preliminary shaping eliminates the need for a separate proving chamber, as the curved geometry itself facilitates the leavening process during baking by enabling hot air to penetrate and circulate through the dough structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the proving function from a dedicated proving chamber and integrates it into the baking process itself. By shaping the dough with curved channels and baking in an upright position, the proving chamber is eliminated entirely, as the hot air circulation during baking performs both the proving and baking functions simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Volume of moving object

If the dough is proven for a lengthy period, then the dough achieves proper leavening, but the production time and productivity are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedough volumeVSAvoidproduction speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The dough is shaped into a curved form with channels before baking, preparing the structure in advance to allow hot air circulation during the baking process. This preliminary shaping eliminates the need for a separate proving chamber, as the curved geometry itself facilitates the leavening process during baking by enabling hot air to penetrate and circulate through the dough structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention merges the proving process with the baking process into a single operational step. By combining these two previously separate processes, the production time is significantly reduced while maintaining the quality of leavening, as the hot air circulation during baking simultaneously proves and bakes the dough.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Ease of operation

If the dough is baked in a flat position on a baking support, then the handling is simple, but the heat distribution is uneven and the appearance is less voluminous

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandling easeVSAvoidproduct volume and appearance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The dough is shaped into a curved form with channels and baked in an upright position on the baking support. This curvature creates channels that allow hot air to circulate through the dough, ensuring even heat distribution and promoting uniform expansion. The curved geometry also enhances the voluminous appearance of the final product while maintaining ease of handling through the support structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention transitions from baking the dough in a horizontal flat position to an upright vertical position. This dimensional change allows hot air to circulate around and through the dough from multiple directions, improving heat distribution and volume development while the baking support maintains operational simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

4Manufacturing precision

If the hot air circulation through channels is enhanced, then the heat distribution improves and baking time reduces, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat distribution uniformityVSAvoidbaking process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The dough is shaped into a curved form with channels and baked in an upright position on the baking support. This curvature creates channels that allow hot air to circulate through the dough, ensuring even heat distribution and promoting uniform expansion. The curved geometry also enhances the voluminous appearance of the final product while maintaining ease of handling through the support structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The curved channels in the dough structure serve themselves by naturally guiding hot air circulation during baking. The geometry of the curved dough form creates the heat distribution system without requiring external mechanical devices or complex control mechanisms, achieving uniform heat distribution through the inherent structure of the dough itself.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach results in a more voluminous and evenly baked product with reduced baking time, leading to energy savings and improved production efficiency, while minimizing temperature shock and enhancing the quality of the final product.

Implementation Method 1

the flow of hot air circulating in the oven to envelop the food through the channel(s) or arch(es) formed by said arch(es) or corrugated pattern(s) in said surface of the food product and to penetrate in the heart of the dough

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 2

to a greater heat exchange through the increase in the surface area subjected to the flow of hot air

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHeat transfer: Convection

Implementation Method 3

the release of carbon dioxide caused by the alcoholic fermentation of the sugars by the yeast

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAlcoholic fermentation: Fermentation

Implementation Method 4

the release of water vapour during the baking phase

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectEvaporation: Evaporation

Data Source

PatentUS10045543B2Process for producing a food based on leavened dough, leavened puff pastry dough or puff pastry dough

Publication Date: 2018.08.14 VAMIX

AI summary

The present invention relates to a process for producing a food based on leavened dough, leavened puff pastry dough or puff pastry dough, comprising the following steps: (i) preparing a leavened dough, leavened puff pastry dough or puff pastry dough comprising flour and water, (ii) kneading the dough, (iii) fashioning the dough to obtain the raw food, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: (iv) shaping at least one surface of the raw food in a curved or corrugated shape, preferably in the shape of a single arch, or in the form of multiple, tandemly arranged arches, (v) freezing and/or deep-freezing the raw food in said arch or multiple arch shape. The present invention relates also to frozen or deep-frozen food products based on leavened dough, leavened puff pastry dough or puff pastry dough, produced according to this process, said foods preferably being chosen, among others, from Viennese pastries, croissants, chocolate rolls, breads.