Topological Dough Features for Reduced Bake Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing freezer-to-oven dough products result in longer baking times due to the need for thawing, and there is a desire to reduce cooking time without compromising the quality or visual/taste characteristics of fresh-baked products.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of topological features such as undulating upper surfaces with crest and trough regions or tunnels in the dough products, which increase the surface area for enhanced convective heat transfer during baking, reducing cooking time and creating a dual-textured, crispy and airy final product.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If frozen dough products are baked directly from frozen state without thawing, then cooking time is reduced, but the quality and texture of the baked product deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies surface undulation by creating crested and troughed patterns on the dough surface before freezing. This curvature modification increases the surface area and creates pathways for improved heat penetration during baking, allowing the dough to bake properly from frozen state without compromising quality. The undulated surface structure enables sufficient heat transfer while maintaining the frozen-to-oven convenience.
2Productivity
If the surface area of the dough is increased through topological features, then heat transfer is enhanced and cooking time is reduced, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the surface undulation creation into the existing rolling pin or dough handling equipment, making the same tool perform both the traditional flattening function and the new undulation creation function. This multi-functionality approach avoids adding separate complex equipment while achieving the desired surface topology modification for improved heat transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
By using a rolling pin with pre-formed crested and troughed surface patterns, the patent creates undulated dough surfaces through a simple rolling action. This approach achieves complex surface topology using a relatively simple tooling modification, avoiding the need for complex manufacturing equipment while still increasing surface area for heat transfer.
3Duration of action of moving object
If tunnels are created in the dough product to increase surface area, then convective heat transfer is enhanced and bake time is reduced, but the structural integrity of the dough may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates multiple discrete tunnels distributed throughout the dough product rather than large open spaces. This segmentation approach increases the total surface area for heat transfer while maintaining the overall structural integrity of the dough, as the smaller distributed tunnels cause less disruption to the dough matrix compared to large cavities.
Solution Approach 2:
The tunnel structure creates a porous-like internal architecture within the dough product. This porous structure provides pathways for convective heat transfer and steam circulation during baking, enhancing heat penetration and reducing bake time while the surrounding dough matrix maintains structural integrity and prevents collapse.
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
The topological features significantly reduce baking time by 20-25% while maintaining or enhancing the quality and texture of the final product, producing a more efficient and high-quality baked dough product.
Implementation Method 1
the added surface area promotes heat transfer, particularly convective heat transfer, upon baking
Implementation Method 2
the dough product expands during cooking... the tunnels are effectively sealed during the baking operation due to the expansion of the dough product during cooking
Data Source
AI summary
A frozen topologically modified dough product is produced by creating topological features in a dough piece having a main body portion including an upper surface and a lower surface, wherein the topological features is at least one of undulations in the upper surface created through formation of a series of crest and trough regions and a series of tunnels created in the main body portion of the dough piece, and then freezing the dough piece to produce a frozen dough piece. When cooked, particularly through a convection baking operation, the topological features increase the surface area for convection heat transfer during the baking operation, resulting in a significantly reduced overall bake time.