CA3142547A1

CA3142547A1 - Protein-based dough product

Info

Publication number: CA3142547A1
Application number: CA3142547A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Lisa Claire Blok
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-12-15
Filing date: 2021-12-15
Publication date: 2023-06-15

Abstract

A protein-based dough product made using a source of protein (e.g. meat) and a binder.
The meat can be poultry. The binder can be cheese or a cheese substitute such as nutritional yeast or a non-dairy cheese substitute. The cheese can be a hard cheese such as parmesan or a medium cheese such as cheddar, provolone, Monterey Jack and/or mozzarella. The binder can be a combination of hard cheese and medium cheese.
Methods of preparing the protein-based dough product are provided.

Description

PROTEIN-BASED DOUGH PRODUCT
Technical Field [0001] Some embodiments relate to dough products such as pizza crusts. Some embodiments relate to dough products that are made without wheat or wheat substitutes.
Some embodiments relate to dough products that are made with a protein source such as meat as a primary ingredient.
Background

[0002] Health concerns around the consumption of wheat, and also the prevalence of certain diets that limit or avoid the intake of wheat or even carbohydrates, mean that there is a demand for food products that contain less wheat and/or carbohydrates, and/or which eliminate grains altogether and/or minimize carbohydrates. However, replicating the taste, consistency and texture of dough products that incorporate wheat is difficult to do.

[0003] There is a general desire for dough products, such as pizza dough, that do not contain wheat products and/or which are compatible with diets in which wheat products or carbohydrates are minimized and/or avoided.

[0004] The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related thereto are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.
Summary

[0005] The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, not limiting in scope. In various embodiments, one or more of the above-described problems have been reduced or eliminated, while other embodiments are directed to other improvements.

Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15

[0006] In some aspects, a protein-based dough product is provided. The protein-based dough product incorporates a protein and a binder.

[0007] The protein can be meat, e.g. poultry, pork and/or beef. The poultry can be any type of poultry, including turkey and/or chicken. The different types of meat can be used in any relative proportions, and in the case of poultry can be breast meat, thigh meat, or a combination thereof.

[0008] The binder can be cheese or a cheese substitute such as nutritional yeast or a non-dairy cheese substitute. The cheese can be a hard cheese such as parmesan, or a medium cheese such as mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, Monterey Jack, or the like. The hard cheese can be a powdered cheese product. The medium cheese can be a grated cheese product or a powdered cheese product.

[0009] The protein-based dough product can contain between about 80% and about 95%
by weight of protein and between about 20% and about 5% by weight of the binder.

[0010] The protein-based dough product can be free of eggs. The protein-based dough product can be free of leavening agents. The protein-based dough product can be free of soy protein isolates or whey protein isolates.

[0011] The protein-based dough product can be a pizza crust. The protein-based pizza crust can have a thickness between about 0.2" to about 0.5", optionally between about 0.25"
and about 0.3".

[0012] In some aspects, a method of preparing a protein-based dough product is provided.
The method involves combining protein and a binder to produce a mixture, forming the mixture into the desired dough product, and baking the mixture to produce the desired protein-based dough product.

[0013] In some aspects, the method is a method of preparing a protein-based pizza crust and the pizza crust is prepared in a deep dish pizza pan. The mixture can be spread into the deep dish pizza pan to a depth of approximately 0.2" to about 0.5", optionally about 0.25" to about 0.3".

Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15

[0014] In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to the drawings and by study of the following detailed descriptions.
Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a photograph of a raw protein-based dough product pressed into a pizza pan for the purpose of baking to form a pizza crust.

[0017] FIG. 2 shows a photograph of baked pizza crusts on a cooling rack.

[0018] FIG. 3 shows a photograph of additional baked pizza crusts.

[0019] FIG. 4 shows a frozen baked pizza crust with pizza toppings placed thereon for baking to form a pizza.

[0020] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a baked pizza crust that has been sliced to show the thickness and texture of the baked pizza crust.
Description

[0021] Throughout the following description specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding to persons skilled in the art. However, well known elements may not have been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the disclosure. Accordingly, the description and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative, rather than a restrictive, sense.

[0022] The inventor has now developed a formulation that can be used to prepare a dough product using protein as the primary ingredient, rather than traditional flour or flour substitutes. In some embodiments, the protein is a meat protein, such as from poultry. The protein is secured together as a cohesive dough product and rendered moist and flexible through the incorporation of a suitable binder, such as cheese or a cheese substitute such Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15 as nutritional yeast. Optionally, desired seasonings can also be incorporated into the protein-based dough product. In some embodiments, the protein-based dough product is a pizza crust.

[0023] In some embodiments, the protein-based dough product incorporates a source of protein and a binder. In some embodiments, the protein is meat. In some embodiments, the protein is poultry. In some embodiments, the poultry is chicken, turkey, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the poultry is any suitable type of poultry such as chicken, turkey, goose, duck, guinea fowl, or any other type of bird that is used as a source of meat, or a combination thereof. The protein used should be boneless, but can come from any portion of the bird or other animal. In some embodiments in which the protein is poultry, the protein is a combination of both breast and thigh meat. In some embodiments, the protein is a combination of 50% by weight breast meat and 50%
by weight thigh meat, although other proportions could be used, e.g. between about 0% to about 100% by weight of breast meat, or about 0% to about 100% by weight of thigh meat.
Embodiments made with thigh meat may have a stronger meat taste, and may be viewed as a more decadent crust, e.g. for holiday or other special occasions.

[0024] In some embodiments, the protein is ground pork and/or ground beef, optionally with poultry. The inventor has found that embodiments made with ground pork or ground beef contain a higher level of saturated fat, and may have a "meat taste", whereas embodiments made with poultry taste less like meat and are better able to mimic the taste of a flour-based dough crust.

[0025] In some embodiments, the binder is cheese. In some embodiments, the binder is a hard cheese, for example, parmesan. In some embodiments, the hard cheese is parmesan, romano, asiago, grana Padano, gorgonzola, or any other cheese that is aged sufficiently to be considered a hard cheese, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the hard cheese is parmesan cheese. In some embodiments, the hard cheese is a powdered cheese preparation, rather than a grated cheese preparation. The inventor has found that powdered hard cheese such as parmesan acts as a better binder than grated hard cheese.

[0026] In some embodiments, the binder is a semi-hard cheese, semi-soft cheese, or medium hard cheese, for example, cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, gouda, havarti, Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15 gruyere, fontina, provolone, emmantaler, taleggio, comte, edam, manchego, queso Chihuahua, Colby, reblochon, queso manchego, comte, kasseri, or any other cheese that is moderately aged to be considered a semi-hard cheese, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the semi-hard cheese is cheddar cheese and/or Monterey Jack cheese. In some embodiments, the semi-soft cheese is mozzarella cheese.

[0027] For brevity in this specification, the term "medium cheese" will be used to collectively encompass all of semi-hard cheeses, semi-soft cheeses, and medium hard cheeses. In some embodiments, the medium cheese is a grated cheese product. In other embodiments, the medium cheese is a powdered cheese product.

[0028] In some embodiments, the binder is a combination of a hard cheese with one or more semi-hard, semi-soft or medium hard cheeses, i.e. a combination of a hard cheese with a medium cheese as defined herein. In some embodiments, the binder is a combination of parmesan cheese as the hard cheese in combination with one or more of mozzarella, provolone, cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheeses as the medium cheese.

[0029] The inventor has found that increasing the relative proportion of hard cheese:medium cheese, results in a dough product that is more dense, while increasing the relative proportion of medium:hard cheese results in a greasier dough product that may tend to stick to the pan more when baked.

[0030] In some embodiments, the binder is a cheese substitute, such as nutritional yeast, which is a cultured yeast vegan food product, or a dairy-free grated cheese substitute, or the like.

[0031] In some embodiments, the binder is a combination of cheese and a cheese substitute such as nutritional yeast. In some embodiments, the binder has between 0% by weight and 100% by weight of cheese as the binder, including any value or subrange therebetween, e.g. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90 or 95% by weight, e.g. 5% to 95% by weight, and between 100% by weight and 0% by weight of the cheese substitute, such as nutritional yeast or dairy-free grated cheese substitute, as the binder, including any value or subrange therebetween, e.g. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90 or 95% by weight, e.g. 5% to 95% by weight.

Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15

[0032] In some embodiments, any desired seasonings can be added to the protein-based dough product. Examples of such seasonings include Italian seasoning, Tex-Mex mix, freshly diced herbs such as sage, thyme, rosemary, or the like, salt, pepper, or any other desired seasoning. In one example, the Tex-Mex mix contains a blend of chillies, cumin, jalapeno and herbs, including oregano, dehydrated onion, garlic, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and salt. In one example, the Italian seasoning contains dehydrated vegetables (onion, carrot, red bell pepper, garlic, green bell pepper), sugar, salt, spices and herbs (including oregano and basil).

[0033] In some embodiments, the proportion of protein:binder that is used to prepare the mixture that will yield the desired dough product is between about 95:5 to about 80:20, including any value therebetween. Thus, in some embodiments, the desired dough product in its pre-baked state contains about 80% to about 95% by weight of protein (including any value or subrange therebetween, e.g. about 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93 or 94% by weight) and about 5% to about 20% by weight of binder (including any value or subrange therebetween, e.g. about 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 or 19% by weight). It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the amount of each of the ingredients used should add up to 100%.

[0034] Using more than the indicated amounts of binder may result in a final dough product which contains more fat and/or calories than is desirable from the point of view of the nutritional profile of the finished dough product. Using too little binder will result in a dough product that is drier and can be crumbly and therefore which does not provide a good replacement for a traditional wheat-based dough product.

[0035] In some embodiments, the binder is a mixture of hard cheese and one or more medium cheeses. In some embodiments, the amount of hard cheese present in the binder varies between 0% and 100% by weight, including any value or subrange therebetween, e.g. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90 or 95% by weight, e.g. 5% to 95% by weight. In some embodiments, the amount of medium cheese present in the binder varies between 0% and 100% by weight, including any value or subrange therebetween, e.g. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90 or 95% by weight, e.g. 5% to 95% by weight. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15 that the sum of the percentage by weight content of the hard cheese and the medium cheese should add up to 100% of the composition of the binder.

[0036] Any desired amount of seasoning can be added to the mixture in order to season the desired protein-based dough product. For example, the amount of seasoning added can range from 0% up to about 5% by weight of the mixture, including any value or subrange therebetween e.g. 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, 0.5%, 0.6%, 0.7%, 0.8%, 0.9%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, 3.0% or 4.0% by weight, e.g. between 0.1% and 5% by weight.

[0037] In some embodiments, the mixture that is formed into the protein-based dough product is free of egg or substantially free of egg, to avoid providing an undesired taste of egg and/or texture of omelette to the finished dough product.

[0038] In some embodiments, the mixture that is formed into the protein-based dough product is free of or substantially free of any leavening agents, such as carbon dioxide or a source of carbon dioxide such as carbonated water, a carbonate salt (e.g.
ammonium, sodium or potassium carbonate) or bicarbonate salt (e.g. ammonium, sodium or potassium bicarbonate), cream of tartar, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium aluminum sulphate, or the like. The inventor has found that such ingredients are not required to yield a desirable dough product consistency, and omitting such ingredients allows the recipe for the protein-based dough product to be kept as simple as possible in some embodiments.

[0039] In some embodiments, the mixture that is formed into the protein-based dough product is free of or substantially free of any added protein isolate such as soy protein isolate, whey protein isolate, or the like. The addition of such components can increase the risk of allergic reactions and/or can cause mild stomach effects (in the case of soy protein isolate) or bloating, gas, stomach cramps and/or diarrhea (in the case of whey protein isolate), so that these ingredients should be avoided in some embodiments.

[0040] To prepare the protein-based dough product, the protein component is weighed out, and the binder and any desired seasonings are added to the mixture. The mixture can be combined in any desired manner, e.g. via hand mixing or through the use of an appropriate food processor or mixer.

Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15

[0041] The resultant mixture can then be baked in any suitable manner to produce the desired dough product. Any desired dough product can be formed from the resultant mixture.

[0042] In embodiments in which the desired dough product is a pizza crust, the resultant mixture can be placed in or on an appropriate baking vessel in order to bake as a pizza crust. In one embodiment, the pizza crust is baked in a deep dish pizza crust pan. A small amount of water can be added to the pan and spread over the interior surface of the pan. A
small amount of an anti-stick agent such as extra virgin olive oil can be sprayed into the pan. In other embodiments, any other desired anti-stick agent can be used, e.g. regular olive oil spray, synthetic anti-stick cooking spray (such as PAM), animal-based products such as butter or lard, or any other type of oil such as vegetable oil or the like, although the health and consumer appeal of extra virgin olive oil may make it preferable in certain embodiments.

[0043] It has been found by the inventor that spraying a non-stick product such as extra virgin olive oil into the pan to grease the pan works better than other methods such as spreading the non-stick product directly in the pan, as pouring extra virgin olive oil directly in the pan resulted in an undesirably large amount of oil in the pan and therefore an undesirably large amount of oil on the finished pizza crust product.

[0044] An appropriate amount of the prepared dough mixture is added to the pan and spread to the desired thickness of approximately 0.2" to about 0.5" (e.g.
approximately 16 oz of dough mixture for a 12" diameter pan has been found to yield a crust having a desirable thickness). In some embodiments, the prepared mixture is spread to a thickness of between about 0.25" to about 0.3". Any desired diameter of pan may be used, e.g. 8", 9", 10", 11", 12", 13", 14", 15", 16", 17", 18" or larger, but the amount of the prepared dough mixture that is used should be adjusted relative to the size of the pan to maintain the desired thickness of approximately 0.2" to about 0.5".

[0045] The dough product mixture can be pressed into the pan in any suitable manner, for example by running a spatula under water and then spraying with an anti-stick agent such as extra virgin olive oil to help prevent sticking. The sprayed spatula can be used to gently press the mixture into the pan across the bottom of the pan and generally evenly all the way Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15 to the edges of the pan, so that the top surface of the mixture in the pan is generally flat, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0046] It has also been found by the inventor that the oiled spatula is the most effective way to spread the prepared mixture in the pan, as for example laying plastic wrap over the mixture and pressing down on the plastic wrap to flatten the dough resulted in the plastic wrap sticking to the dough mixture. Pressing the mixture between two pans was found to result in the mixture sticking to both pans, while pressing the mixture into a pan using a fork worked but resulted in visible fork lines in the finished baked crust product.
Pressing the prepared mixture using parchment paper and a tortilla press was found not to work as the pressed mixture would tend to be too thick on one side and too thin on another side, so that the desired level of even thickness was not achieved. Pressing the prepared mixture using parchment paper was found to be undesirable as it was difficult to achieve the desired even edges and thickness. Pressing the prepared mixture into a glass pan was found not to work well as the crust would tend to stick to the edges of the glass pan, whereas the baked crust was found to be easily removable from a non-stick pizza pan.

[0047] In other embodiments in which the desired dough product is a pizza crust, the desired product can be baked in any suitable manner, e.g. on a flat pan or pizza stone or the like. If desired, an appropriate anti-stick agent can be applied to the pan to help prevent sticking of the dough product.

[0048] The dough product that will be used as a pizza crust is then baked at an appropriate temperature and for a suitable duration to bake the dough mixture into a crust. In some embodiments, the pizza crust may be only partially cooked (par baked) initially, to help ensure that the crust does not become overly dry after it has been topped and baked a second time to yield the desired pizza product.

[0049] For example, in one embodiment, the crust is baked in an oven at a temperature of approximately 425 F until the crust reaches an internal temperature of 165 F, e.g. as measured using a food thermometer. When baked, the desired appearance of the product is par baked, with some light browning of cheese bubbles, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.
Under these conditions, cooking of a 12" diameter crust may take about 10-11 minutes, and optionally after about 8-9 minutes the crust can be visually inspected and may be moved Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15 within the oven to facilitate even cooking (e.g. some portions of a commercial oven may cook faster than others). For embodiments in which the dough product is a pizza crust baked in a 12" deep dish pizza pan, after baking, the finished crust typically has a diameter of between about 10" and about 10 1/2" and is approximately 1/4" thick.

[0050] After baking, the finished dough product can be cooled, for example by placing on a cooling rack as shown FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Once the crust has cooled to a suitable extent (e.g. after about 10 minutes in some example embodiments), the crust can be packaged in any suitable manner, e.g. using a vacuum sealer, for subsequent freezing and storage (e.g.
so that the pizza crusts can be sold as a commercial product). The inventor has found that such pizza crusts have a shelf-life when frozen of four months.

[0051] In embodiments in which the protein-based dough product is pizza dough, for consumption, the pizza crust can be removed from the freezer and removed from any packaging, and then topped with pizza toppings while still frozen, as shown in FIG. 4. The topped crust can be baked from frozen under any suitable conditions, e.g. at a temperature of 425 F for a period of approximately 18-20 minutes (e.g. until the minimum internal temperature of the crust reaches 165 F as determined using a food thermometer). The finished pizza is then ready for the consumer to enjoy. FIG. 5 shows the final cooked pizza product, including a cross-sectional slice showing the thickness and consistency of the finished protein-based pizza crust product.

[0052] If the finished pizza product is not fully consumed immediately, any leftovers can be stored chilled in a refrigerator and/or frozen in a freezer and reheated for later consumption.
The inventor has found that using a microwave to re-heat such leftovers works well, either from a chilled or frozen state; leftovers can be heated in the oven as well, but this may result in a drier crust upon consuming the leftovers.

[0053] In alternative embodiments, rather than being frozen or stored, the pizza crust can be initially par baked as described above, removed from the oven and optionally allowed to cool somewhat to facilitate working with the crust, then topped with pizza toppings and returned to the oven to finish baking the desired pizza product.
Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15 Examples Example 1.0 - Chicken-Based Pizza Crust

[0054] The following ingredients are combined:
= 14 oz ground chicken breast (raw) = 1/4 cup (- 0.5-0.75 oz) parmesan cheese = 1/4 cup (- 1.5-2.0 oz) shredded cheese (commercially available Italian blend or Tex-Mex blend) = 1 tsp spices (Italian or Tex Mex blend)

[0055] To produce a pizza crust, the ground chicken breast is weighed, the cheese (both types) and spices are added, and the mixture is combined by hand mixing. The mixture is pressed into a pan to form a pizza crust.

[0056] For this example, the Italian blend of cheeses was a commercially available blend containing mozzarella, provolone and parmesan cheese; other commercially available Italian blends of cheeses may also contain gouda, romano and/or asiago cheeses. The Tex Mex blend of cheese used included mozzarella, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. The Italian blend of spices was a commercially available Italian seasoning containing dehydrated vegetables (onion, carrot, red bell pepper, garlic, green bell pepper), sugar, salt, spices and herbs (including oregano and basil). The Tex Mex blend of spices was a commercially available Tex Mex seasoning containing a blend of chillies, cumin, jalapeno and herbs, including oregano, dehydrated onion, garlic, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and salt. The Italian cheese and spice blends were used together to produce Italian themed pizza crusts. The Tex Mex cheese and spice blends were used together to produce Tex Mex themed pizza crusts.

[0057] In this example, the pan is a deep dish pizza crust pan. The pan has a 12" diameter and is 7/8" deep.

[0058] A small amount of water is added to the pan and spread over the interior surface of the pan. A small amount of extra virgin olive oil is sprayed into the pan.
Approximately 16 oz of the final mixture is added to the pan.

Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15

[0059] The mixture is pressed into the pan by running a spatula under water and then spraying with extra virgin olive oil spray. The sprayed spatula is used to press the mixture into the pan across the bottom and generally evenly all the way to the edges of the pan, so that the top surface of the mixture in the pan is generally flat, which results in the prepared mixture having a thickness in the pan of approximately 0.25" to 0.3" after spreading. It has been found by the inventor that spreading the dough in an appreciably thinner layer will result in a drier crust that is undesirable for consumers, while spreading the dough in an appreciably thicker layer will result in a heavier volume of crust, which firstly yields too high of a crust:topping ratio when making a finished pizza product, and secondly tends to taste .. like chicken, rather than mimicking the taste of a traditional dough pizza crust.

[0060] The pan containing the raw crust is placed in an oven at 425 F and baked for 9 minutes on a convection setting. The crust is then visually inspected, and can be moved around within the oven to ensure even baking if needed (e.g. if one side of the crust is cooking faster than the other side, or if some crusts in one portion of the oven are cooking faster than crusts in another portion of the oven). In total, the crust is baked for approximately 10-11 minutes, checking every minute after 9 minutes for doneness. The crust is baked to an internal temperature of 165 F, which is monitored using a food thermometer. The desired appearance of the finished product is par baked (i.e.
partially baked), with some light browning of cheese bubbles, as shown in FIGs. 2 and 3.
The inventor has found that baking the dough product beyond this point results in a crust that is too dry to be satisfactory to consumers after the crust is baked a second time with toppings to create the desired finished pizza product.

[0061] After baking, the crust has a diameter of between about 10" and about 10 1/2" and is approximately 1/4" thick.

[0062] The baked crust is removed from the oven and moved to a cooling rack, e.g. using a clean spatula. The baked crust is permitted to cool for at least 10 minutes.
For storage, the crust is packaged by placing in an 11x16" vacuum sealer bag and then vacuum sealed using a Foodsaver device on a moist setting. The product is labelled with its best-before date, four months from the date the crust was baked, and then frozen. Or, if desired for immediate consumption, the partially baked crust can be topped and then baking finished with the toppings.

Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15

[0063] To later consume the frozen crust, the crust is topped as in the nature of a conventional pizza crust, and then baked from frozen at a temperature of 425 F
for a period of approximately 18-20 minutes (until the minimum internal temperature of the crust reaches 165 F).
Example 2.0 - Chicken-Based Pizza Crust - Multiple Batch

[0064] The following ingredients are combined:
= 56 oz ground chicken breast (raw) = 2/3 cup (-1.5-2 oz) parmesan cheese = 1 1/3 cups (-6-8 oz) shredded medium cheese (Italian or Tex Mex blend) = 1 tbsp seasoning (Italian or Tex Mex seasoning)

[0065] To produce a pizza crust, the ground chicken breast is weighed, the cheese (both types) and spices are added, and the mixture is combined by hand mixing. The final mixture is weighed and that value is divided by the total number of crusts planned to be produced (four in this example). The dough is then divided into equal portions (four portions of approximately 16 oz in this example), and then each portion of dough is pressed into a pan and baked as described above for Example 1Ø
Example 3.0 - Turkey Pizza Crust

[0066] A crust is prepared as described for Example 1.0, using ground turkey in place of ground chicken. The turkey meat used is a mixture of turkey breast and turkey thigh (50%
by weight of each). The seasonings used are fresh chopped herbs, i.e. sage, thyme and rosemary, as well as freshly cracked pepper. The same method is used to prepare the crust.

[0067] The inventor has found that pizza crust prepared using turkey as the poultry has a richer and slightly meatier taste than pizza crust prepared using chicken as the poultry.

Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15 Example 4.0 ¨ Dairy Free Crust

[0068] The following ingredients are combined:
= 16 oz ground chicken breast (raw) = 1/4 cup (1.2 oz) nutritional yeast = 1 tsp seasoning The crust is prepared using the same method as described for Example 1.
Example 5.0 ¨ Protein Crust Containing Egg (Comparative)

[0069] The following ingredients are combined:
= 16 oz ground chicken breast (raw) = 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (powdered) = 1/4 cup medium cheese (grated) = 1 egg The crust is prepared using the same method as described for Example 1. The finished crust was found to be dense and chewy, and to have a consistency more like an omelette versus a traditional dough crust. Thus, this crust was not desirable for consumers. A
number of variations were tested incorporating egg, including an attempt to quadruple the non-egg components to divide the single egg between four crusts to reduce the negative impacts of the egg. However, none of these crusts were found to be desirable for consumers despite attempts to minimize the negative impacts of the egg on the crust.
Example 6.0 ¨ Protein Crust Baked on Flat Pan

[0070] A chicken mixture was prepared as described for Example 1Ø Rather than pressing the combined mixture into a deep dish pizza pan, the mixture was placed onto a flat pan (e.g. the base of a springform pan) in order to form the desired shape. The crust was baked on the flat pan and had good taste and appeal to consumers. However, this mode of cooking the prepared crust could be undesirable e.g. if using a commercial oven, since any moisture or grease would drip off the pan and therefore might fall down onto Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15 crusts baking below, resulting in unsightly grease drips that alter the flavour of the crust, or down onto the oven itself, resulting in the formation of smoke which can alter crust flavour.
Example 7.0 ¨ Nutritional Analysis

[0071] For crusts prepared in accordance with Example 1.0 (chicken-based pizza crust), nutritional analysis for a 12" crust was as follows:
= Calories: 648 = Fat: 32g = Carbohydrates: 1.5g = Fibre: 0.5g = Sugar: 0 g = Protein: 90g

[0072] For example pizza crusts prepared in accordance with Example 3.0 (turkey-based pizza crust), nutritional analysis for a 12" crust was as follows:
= Calories: 774 = Fat: 40g = Carbohydrates: 0 g = Fibre: 0.5g = Sugar: 0 g = Protein: 87g

[0073] For example pizza crusts prepared in accordance with Example 4.0 (dairy-free pizza crust), nutritional analysis for a a 12" crust was as follows:
= Calories: 608 = Fat: 24g = Carbohydrates: 5g = Fibre: 3g = Sugar: 0 g = Protein: 95g Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15

[0074] Given the foregoing nutritional analysis, the recommended serving size is 1/4 of a pizza crust.

[0075] The above examples demonstrate that a protein-based dough product that mimics the taste and properties of a conventional wheat-based dough product such as a pizza crust can be prepared by combining a protein source with a binder as described.

[0076] While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations as are consistent with the broadest interpretation of the specification as a whole.

Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A protein-based dough product comprising:
protein; and a binder.

2. A protein-based dough product as defined in claim 1, wherein the protein comprises meat.

3. A protein-based dough product as defined in either one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the protein comprises poultry.

4. A protein-based dough product as defined in claim 3, wherein the poultry comprises chicken and/or turkey.

5. A protein-based dough product as defined in either one of claims 3 or 4, wherein the poultry comprises breast and/or thigh meat.

6. A protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the binder comprises cheese.

7. A protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the binder comprises a mixture of a hard cheese and a medium cheese.

8. A protein-based dough product as defined in claim 7, wherein the hard cheese comprises a powdered cheese product.

9. A protein-based dough product as defined in either one of claims 7 or 8, wherein the medium cheese comprises a grated cheese product.

10. A protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the hard cheese comprises parmesan, and wherein the medium cheese comprises one or more of mozzarella, provolone, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses.

Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15

11. A protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the medium cheese comprises a semi-hard cheese, a semi-soft cheese, or a medium hard cheese.

12. A protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the binder comprises between 5% and 95% by weight hard cheese and between 5%
and 95% by weight medium cheese.

13. A protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the binder comprises nutritional yeast.

14. A protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the binder comprises a non-dairy cheese substitute.

15. A protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 1 to 14, comprising between about 80% and about 95% by weight of protein.

16. A protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 1 to 15, comprising between about 5% and about 20% by weight of binder.

17. A protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the product is free of eggs.

18. A protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the product is free of leavening agents.

19. A protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the product is free of soy protein isolates or whey protein isolates.

20. A protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the product is a pizza crust.

21. A protein-based dough product as defined in claim 20, wherein the pizza crust has a thickness of between about 0.2" and about 0.5".

Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15

22. A protein-based dough product as defined in claim 20, wherein the pizza crust has a thickness of between about 0.25" and about 0.3".

23. A method of preparing a protein-based dough product as defined in any one of claims 1 to 22, the method comprising:
combining the protein and the binder to produce a mixture;
forming the mixture into the desired protein-based dough product; and baking the mixture to produce the protein-based dough product.

24. A method as defined in claim 23, wherein forming the mixture into the desired protein-based dough product comprises pressing the mixture into a deep dish pizza pan to a depth of approximately 0.2" to about 0.5".

25. A method as defined in claim 23, wherein forming the mixture into the desired protein-based dough product comprises pressing the mixture into a deep dish pizza pan to a depth of approximately 0.25" to about 0.3".

26. A method as defined in either one of claims 24 or 25, wherein the deep dish pizza pan is prepared by spreading a small amount of water over an interior surface of the pan and spraying a small amount of an anti-stick agent on the interior surface of the pan.

27. A method as defined in any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein the mixture is pressed into the deep dish pizza pan using a spatula that has been first run under water and then sprayed with a small amount of an anti-stick agent.

28. A method as defined in either one of claims 26 or 27, wherein the anti-stick agent comprises extra virgin olive oil.

Date recue / Date received 2021-12-15