METHOD FOR COOKING A MASS OF DOUGH CONTAINING LEAVEN AND OVEN ADAPTED FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION
DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to a method for baking a mass of dough containing leaven and to an oven adapted to implement such method.
Therefore, a typical application of the present invention is the production of bread, in particular of home-made bread.
Traditionally, and as well known, bread is made by preparing a piece of dough substantially consisting of water, flour and leaven; fundamentally there are two types of leaven: natural and chemical; the highest quality bread is obtained by using natural leaven. The present invention has been conceived particularly for dough containing natural leaven.
The dough must then leaven; this phase is very important mostly for dough containing natural leaven; in order to obtain good quality bread from dough containing natural leaven, two or three leavenings are necessary, and the dough must be kneaded a little after each leavening.
The leaven dough is then shaped, thereby forming e.g. one or more loaves, and is put into a hot oven; depending on the shape and size of the loaves, the initial temperature of the cooking cavity of the oven can generally vary between 230°C and 2700C.
As the dough mass is being baked, the temperature of the cooking cavity of the oven remains constant (it can therefore be called "cooking temperature") and, in general, the environment of the cooking cavity of the oven is kept a bit moist.
The baking lasts a certain time depending on the recipe (and therefore also on the contents of the dough) as well as on the weight and volume of the dough.
This allows to obtain good quality bread, but such a bread production process takes too long
(about four hours) and requires a precise knowledge of the recipe. Besides, the baking phase is very critical because the cooking goes on from the outside to the inside, and it is necessary to obtain a good cooking of both the soft part of the bread (i.e. the inside of the dough) and the crust (i.e. the outside of the dough), with relative coloration or browning ; therefore, it is not simple to choose the proper cooking temperature and time.
For all these reasons the home-making of bread is not very widespread nowadays.
Similar problems are encountered in the making of other salty or sweet bakery products such as, for instance, breadsticks and brioches.
The general object of the present invention is to provide a method for making bakery products being easy to implement, especially at home and in a short time.
A first specific object of the present invention is to provide a non-critical baking method for leaven-containing dough.
A second specific object of the present invention is to provide a baking method for a mass of dough containing leaven requiring little time.
A third specific object of the present invention is to facilitate the implementation of the leavening phase for a mass of dough containing leaven.
This and other objects are substantially achieved by the baking method according to the present invention as defined in the annexed claims.
The idea at the basis of the present invention is to put the mass of dough containing leaven into the cooking cavity of the oven when said cavity is at a low temperature, typically at room temperature; it is not therefore necessary to pre-heat the oven.
According to a further aspect, the present invention also relates to an oven adapted to implement said method.
The present invention will become more apparent from the following description and from the annexed drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 shows a schematic and simplified cross-section of an embodiment example of an oven according to the present invention, and
Fig. 2 shows a temperature diagram of an embodiment example of a baking process implementing the method according to the present invention.
Said description and said drawings are to be considered as non-limiting examples.
Fig. 1 shows an oven designated as a whole with reference number 1.
The oven 1 is fitted with a cabinet 11 enclosing all of its components.
The oven 1 is provided with a muffle 12 defining a cooking cavity 2 inside of it; in this example, the volume of the cavity 2 is approximately 60 litres.
The oven 1 is fitted on the front side with a door 13 for closing the cavity 2; the door 13 is hinged to the cabinet 11 in the bottom area; this feature is not shown in Fig. 1.
Between the cabinet 11 and the muffle 12 there is an air circulation zone 14 for cooling the outside of the muffle 12; the air enters the zone 14 from the lower portion of the front side of the oven 1 (typically under the door 12), circulates along the zone 14 around the muffle 12, and leaves the zone 14 from the upper portion of the front side of the oven 1 (typically above
the door 12).
The oven 1 comprises heating means, designated as a whole with reference number 3, ventilation means, designated as a whole with reference number 4, and an electronic control system 5.
The means 3 comprise an upper electric heating element 31 and a lower electric heating element 32; the element 31 consists of a coil located inside the cavity 2, close to its top wall; the element 32 is located outside the cavity 2, adjacent to its bottom wall.
The means 4 comprise a first fan 41 and a second fan 42; the fan 41 is external to the muffle
12 and is used to promote the circulation of air around the muffle 12; it is usually called
"tangential turbine" because of its typical structure; the fan 42 is internal to the muffle 12 and is used to promote the circulation of air inside the cavity 2.
The system 5 is connected to the means 3 and to the means 4 (although these connections are not shown in Fig. 1) and is adapted to control their operation: typically, their activation/deactivation, the electric power drawn by the heating means 3 and therefore the thermal power produced, the electric power drawn by the ventilation means 4 (in practice, the revolving speed of the fans) and therefore the air flow produced. The system 5 is also fitted with a temperature sensor adapted to detect the temperature inside the cavity 2, so as to be able to control the temperature inside the cavity 2 by regulating the power drawn by the heating means 3 based on the temperature detected by said sensor; this feature is not shown in
Fig. 1 for simplicity's sake, being a standard feature of food cooking ovens.
The muffle 12 is provided with a duct 6 located at the top wall of the cavity 2; the duct 6 connects the cavity 2 to the zone 14; this allows smoke and steam produced during the cooking to leave the cavity 2; essentially, this effect is obtained when the fan 41 is on: it is low when the fan 41 is turning slowly, and high when the fan 41 is turning at high speed; thus, thanks to the duct 6 (or equivalent means), the fan 41 can extract smoke and steam from the cavity 2.
The system 5 is a computerized electronic control system, as those commonly employed in food cooking ovens for domestic use currently available on the market.
The system 5 is provided with a control panel 51 located on the front side of the oven 1 , aligned above the door 13. The panel 51 allows the user to send to the system 5 cooking parameters such as cooking time, cooking temperature, cooking mode (e.g. whether to use only the element 31, only the element 32 or both elements 31 and 32, or whether to activate
the fan 42).
The oven 1 has a shelf 8 on which to lay foods to be cooked or cooking containers; in general, ovens are fitted with a number of shelves (trays or grids), often of the removable type, which can be positioned at different levels inside the cooking cavity.
By way of example, in Fig. 1 a mass 9 of dough containing leaven is placed on the shelf 8.
In the cavity 2 of the oven 1 of Fig. 1 there is also a basin 7 containing a quantity of water; the usefulness of such a quantity of water will be apparent later on.
Fig. 2 shows a temperature diagram of a baking process implemented through the oven of Fig.
1 ; said diagram refers to the average temperature inside the cavity 2 of the oven 1. It is worth specifying that such a baking process may also be implemented through ovens being different from the one of Fig. 1.
The diagram of Fig. 2 is subdivided into the following eight lines, identified by different letters:
A : corresponds to a phase of the baking process wherein the temperature rises from room temperature, e.g. 1O0C or 200C, to approximately 500C, and the moisture increases slowly due to evaporation of the water contained in the basin 7, caused by the increasing low temperature; extraction of the steam is weak in order to keep the cavity 2 moist; this phase lasts approximately 2 minutes.
B : corresponds to a phase of the baking process wherein the temperature remains constant at approximately 500C and moisture is present (though being rather low) due to evaporation of the water contained in the basin 7, caused by the low temperature; extraction of the steam is weak in order to keep the cavity 2 moist; this phase lasts approximately 10 minutes.
C : corresponds to a phase of the baking process wherein the temperature rises from approximately 5O0C to approximately 12O0C, and the moisture increases rapidly due to evaporation of the water contained in the basin 7, caused by the rising temperature; extraction of the steam is weak in order to keep the cavity 2 moist; this phase lasts approximately 3 minutes.
D : corresponds to a phase of the baking process wherein the temperature remains constant at approximately 120°C and the moisture is high due to evaporation of the water contained in the basin 7, caused by the high temperature; extraction of the steam is weak in order to keep the cavity 2 moist; this phase lasts approximately 7 minutes.
E : corresponds to a phase of the baking process wherein the temperature rises from
approximately 120°C to approximately 210°C, and the moisture decreases (also because the water contained in the basin 7 has run out); extraction of the steam is increased in order to reduce moisture in the cavity 2; this phase lasts approximately 5 minutes.
F : corresponds to a phase of the baking process wherein a temperature peak of approximately 220°C is achieved with a strong extraction of the steam from the cavity 2; this phase is very short, e.g. 1 minute.
G : corresponds to a phase of the baking process wherein the temperature remains constant at approximately 2100C and the moisture is very low; extraction of the steam is strong in order to remove all moisture from the cavity 2; this phase lasts approximately 8 minutes.
H : corresponds to a phase of the baking process wherein the temperature decreases gradually and naturally, and the (low) moisture is modified naturally; this phase lasts approximately 20 minutes, but can be interrupted a bit earlier without seriously compromising the final quality of the bread.
At the start of the baking process corresponding to Fig. 2, the oven is loaded with a mass of dough containing leaven (which has already undergone a first leavening) weighing approximately 300g and a quantity of water measuring approximately lOcl (as shown in Fig.
1); the process is completed in just about one hour.
In order to obtain a rise in the temperature in the cavity 2, the control system 5 controls the heating means 3 by turning them on.
In order to obtain a fall in the temperature in the cavity 2, the control system 5 controls the heating means 3 by turning them off.
In order to obtain a constant temperature in the cavity 2, the control system 5 controls the heating means 3 so as to activate and deactivate them repeatedly according to the signals received from the temperature sensor.
In order to obtain a strong extraction of steam from the cavity 2, the control system 5 controls the fan 41 by making it turn at high speed.
In order to obtain a weak extraction of steam from the cavity 2, the control system 5 controls the fan 41 by making it turn slowly.
The method according to the present invention is intended for baking masses of dough containing leaven in an oven fitted with a cooking cavity. The method begins with the introduction of a mass of kneaded and totally raw mass of dough in the oven cavity; according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mass is placed in the cavity after
having undergone a first leavening. The method ends with the removal of the totally baked mass of dough from the oven cavity; according to the case, loaves, breadsticks, brioches, etc. can be removed from the oven.
In general, according to said method, the mass of dough is placed in the oven cavity when the temperature of the latter is low, preferably lower than 5O0C, more preferably approximately equal to room temperature; by so doing, it is not be necessary to neither pre-heat the oven nor decide the cooking temperature.
To be extremely precise, it should be noted that various temperatures are present in the cavity: room temperature, the temperatures of the various walls (top, bottom, right side, left side, rear); such temperatures can be rather different from one another and uneven; for the present invention, one can use as a reference the average temperature of the cavity environment; as known, in order to make the temperature of the cavity environment more uniform it is possible to provide a fan inside the cavity.
According to the present invention, it is advantageous to place initially also a certain quantity of water in the oven together with the dough; by so doing, it is possible to obtain a first-rate baked product, because the water will evaporate during the progress of the method according to the present invention (due to the temperature in the cavity), thereby creating moisture in the environment in the oven cavity. A moist environment is desirable both during leavening of the mass of dough and during the cooking of the inside of the mass of dough.
As a general recommendation, for a normal household oven (with a cooking cavity having a volume of 50-70 litres) one can initially place, for example, lOcl of water in the cavity.
The method according to the present invention advantageously provides for keeping the mass of dough in the oven cavity from beginning to the end of the baking process; therefore, it is not to be removed for carrying out any intermediate processing. It is worth pointing out that, in general, a baking process implementing the method according to the present invention comprises not only the cooking of the dough, but also its total or partial leavening, which takes place in the cooking cavity.
It is advantageous and appropriate to divide the baking method according to the present invention into successive phases, each being characterized by specific cooking parameters; by so doing it will be possible to decide the most appropriate cooking parameters according to the case.
From this viewpoint, one of the basic ideas of the present invention is to employ two distinct
cooking phases: one for cooking the inside of the mass of dough, and one for cooking the outside of the mass of dough; this ensures a much less critical baking of mass of dough containing leaven, both in terms of time and in terms of temperature.
The method according to the present invention can include various distinct phases; the best way to implement these various phases will be described below. However, the method according to the present invention does not necessarily require the presence of all these various phases, nor requires that they are all carried out in the best way. It should be noted that, for masses of dough having a weight not exceeding approx. IKg, the duration of each of these phases never exceeds 15 minutes and is typically between 5 minutes and 10 minutes.
By combining the various phases in different ways it is possible to obtain many embodiment examples of the method according to the present invention.
The baking method according to the present invention can comprise a phase for a first leavening of the mass of dough in the cooking cavity of the oven.
The baking method according to the present invention can comprise a phase for a second leavening (following the first one) of the mass of dough in the cooking cavity of the oven.
This second leavening phase advantageously includes a time interval at a constant temperature between 30°C and 5O0C, preferably of approximately 50°C; in the example of Fig. 2, said time interval corresponds to line B of the diagram.
Furthermore, said second leavening phase can include another time interval (immediately preceding the above-mentioned interval) at a temperature increasing from the temperature of the oven cavity at the beginning of the baking process (i.e. typically and advantageously the room temperature) to the above-mentioned constant temperature; in the example of Fig. 2, this other interval corresponds to line A of the diagram.
The baking method according to the present invention can comprise a phase for a third leavening (following the second one) of the mass of dough in the cooking cavity of the oven.
Said third leavening phase advantageously includes a time interval at an increasing temperature from a first temperature (typically the temperature of the second leavening) to a second temperature (typically the cooking temperature of the inside of the mass of dough, which will be defined later on); the first temperature is preferably between 30°C and 5O0C, whereas the second temperature is preferably comprised between 1000C and 14O0C; in the example of Fig. 2, said interval corresponds to line C of the diagram.
Typically, during the third leavening phase there is a weak extraction of the steam from the
cooking cavity of the oven.
In general, it is advisable that the leavening phases take place in a somewhat moist environment, therefore with a weak extraction of the steam from the cooking cavity of the oven.
The baking method according to the present invention can comprise a phase for cooking the inside of the mass of dough in the cooking cavity of the oven.
This inside cooking phase advantageously includes a time interval at a constant temperature between 100°C and 140°C, preferably of approximately 12O0C; in the example of Fig. 2, said time interval corresponds to line D of the diagram.
Typically, during the inside cooking phase there is a weak extraction of the steam from the cooking cavity of the oven, so as to keep the environment quite moist.
Thanks to the moisture and/or to the relatively low temperature, the inside of the mass can be cooked well without the risk of burning the outside of the mass.
Moreover, as a result the cooking time is much less critical (because there is no risk of burning the outside of the mass); therefore, if the weight of the mass of dough is within a predefined weight interval, the inside cooking phase of the mass will have a fixed and predetermined duration, typically between 5 and 10 minutes.
The magnitude of the weight interval and the duration of the inside cooking of the mass can be determined experimentally; a factor affecting the magnitude of the interval is the accuracy desired for the inside cooking of the mass.
The baking method according to the present invention can comprise a phase for cooking the outside of the mass of dough in the cooking cavity of the oven; this phase is used to obtain the crust or browning.
This outside cooking phase of the mass advantageously includes a time interval at a constant temperature between 19O0C and 23O0C, preferably of approximately 2100C; in the example of
Fig. 2, said time interval corresponds to line G of the diagram.
Furthermore, said outside cooking phase of the mass can advantageously include also a temperature peak before the above-mentioned time interval; the temperature of said peak is preferably approximately 2200C, i.e. somewhat higher than that of the subsequent time interval; in the example of Fig. 2, said peak corresponds to line F of the diagram.
Typically, during the outside cooking phase of the mass there is a strong steam extraction from said cooking cavity of the oven; in fact, a dry environment promotes crust formation or
browning.
It is worth pointing out that the inside and outside cooking phases occur at two very different temperatures (the former taking place at a much lower temperature than the latter) and at two very different moisture levels (the former taking place at a much higher moisture level than the latter); of course, the transition from the former condition to the latter condition requires a time interval (corresponding, in the example of Fig. 2, to line E of the diagram); it can be assumed that during said time interval both inside cooking and outside cooking take place.
The baking method according to the present invention can comprise a rest phase for the mass of dough in the cooking cavity of the oven; in the example of Fig. 2, said phase corresponds to line H of the diagram.
During this phase, the temperature in the cavity (and therefore also that of the baked mass of dough) falls naturally and the moisture in the cavity (and therefore also that of the baked mass of dough) changes naturally as well.
The duration of this rest phase is not particularly critical, but it is important that the hot baked mass of dough (e.g. being at 21O0C at the end of line G) is not immediately placed in a cold and/or moist environment.
The following describes three typical and advantageous examples of complete baking processes mass of dough containing leaven according to the present invention, which are carried out by keeping the dough in the oven cavity for the whole duration of the process.
According to a first example, the baking process comprises the following phases in the following order:
- first leavening phase,
- second leavening phase,
- third leavening phase,
- internal cooking phase,
- external cooking phase,
- rest phase.
In this case, a piece of dough just kneaded is placed in the cooking cavity of the oven and afterwards a loaf, for example, is removed from said cavity, ready to be eaten. According to a second example, the baking process comprises the following phases in the following order:
- second leavening phase,
- third leavening phase,
- internal cooking phase,
- external cooking phase,
- rest phase.
In this case, the first leavening of the dough must take place outside the cooking cavity of the oven.
According to a third example, the baking process comprises the following phases in the following order:
- second leavening phase,
- third leavening phase,
- internal cooking phase,
- external cooking phase.
In this case, the rest phase must take place outside the oven, or at least partially outside the cooking cavity of the oven; for example, a warm environment adjacent to the oven could be used for this purpose.
As said, according to a further aspect the present invention also relates to a food cooking oven.
The oven according to the present invention is provided with a cooking cavity and comprises means for implementing the above-described method; of course, the features of the oven depend on the particular baking method implemented.
This definition includes many ovens with gas and/or electric heating (elements and/or lamps): however, the simplest and most typical embodiments of the oven according to the present invention will be ovens with element-type electric heating, in that they ensure a very easy control of the thermal power produced. Moreover, the most typical embodiments will be ovens for domestic use; as a matter of fact, professional bakers are less in need of a simplified baking method and therefore of an oven implementing it.
More specifically, the oven according to the present invention comprises heating means, ventilation means, and an electronic control system connected to said means and adapted to control them (i.e. to control the heating and temperature of the cooking cavity as well as the ventilation of the cooking cavity); advantageously, the electronic control system is computerized and is programmed for implementing the baking method according to the present invention.
An oven fitted with components for implementing the baking method according to the present invention is described and illustrated in the patent document EP 0 950 861 Al; however, such an oven is not provided with a specific programming adapted to implement the baking method according to the present invention.
The electronic control system of the oven according to the present invention can advantageously comprise at least one cooking program for carrying out baking processes implementing the baking method according to the present invention, as well as a control panel adapted to select and activate said cooking program. Of course, the control panel will be typically intended for being operated by the user and can be provided in many different ways; at present, oven control panels often comprise push-buttons and displays, but the present invention does not exclude the use of knobs, graduated scales and symbols. According to the above-described feature, the oven could include, for instance, a first bread baking program for dough weighing lOOg to 50Og, and a second bread baking programme for dough weighing 500g to 250Og, or the oven may include a breadstick baking programme and a brioche baking program; of course, the oven could also include other cooking programmes for other types of food.
The present invention is adapted to be applied to ovens of various types. In some cases, it can be advantageous to provide an oven with a completely automatic cooking programme which does not require any actions or decisions by the user. However, some users wish to have the possibility of customizing the cooking process in order to carry out a very accurate baking. In the light of the above considerations, the electronic control system of the oven according to the present invention can advantageously be adapted to receive cooking parameters through the control panel and to perform cooking processes implementing a certain preset baking method according to the present invention, at the same time taking into account the received cooking parameters. Of course, the cooking parameters are entered manually by the user through the control panel; the most typical cooking parameters include the exact weight and the weight range of the dough (e.g. narrow intervals of 100-20Og, 200-30Og, 300-40Og, 400- 50Og, 500-60Og, 600-70Og, 700-800g, 800-90Og, 900-100Og or broad intervals of 100-350g and 350-100Og), the temperatures of the various cooking phases, and the extraction levels of the various cooking phases; as to temperatures, for example, the user can have the possibility of choosing differences relative to a preset reference temperature in the programme (-150C, - 1O0C, -50C, ±0°C, +50C, +1O0C, +15°C).
As far as the baking method and the cooking oven are concerned, the present invention can be subject to many variations with respect to the above description without departing from the protective scope defined by the annexed claims.