IE912621A1 - Improved baking process - Google Patents

Abstract

A continuous bread baking process in which dough is prepared and delivered to greased baking tins (20) for delivery through a continuous oven (36) to cook the bread. The tins (20) are greased in a greasing apparatus (21) having a number of spray heads (22). The greasing apparatus (21) has sensing means to detect the temperature of the tins (20). Spraying of grease is regulated in response to sensed tin temperature for optimum use of grease and improved product quality.

Description

This invention relates to a continuous bread baking process.

The baking of bread in the modern bakery has certain problems that are not necessarily inherent in baking under less automated conditions. One of the major problems in any form of quantity backing is to ensure that he quality of the loaf is maintained and that indeed there is a consistent quality. It is absolutely vital to have this quality of a consistent nature. For example, the taste of the loaf must not vary from loaf to loaf and such matters as consistency, feel, hardness of crust and so on are absolutely vital. If there is any variation between loaves this causes distinct problems in the marketing and selling of the loaves. Part of the problem is that any variation in quality will lead to complaints and by the time the loaf is returned to the bakery it is stale and the validity or otherwise of such complaints are almost impossible to determine. A major factor is that there appears to have been a lack in quality perceived by the customer which is the same thing as having a lack of quality. The problem with modern baking methods is that many operations have to be carried out automatically without any real consideration of - 2 changing circumstances whether they be ambient conditions, conditions in the ovens, mixing units and so on. One of the major contaminant factors is grease which is used on the baking tins to allow efficient parting. Unfortunately, methods used heretofore have been crude in application and have caused considerable problems with quality. It is also vital to ensure that unfilled tins are not passed through ovens as the additional quantity of grease which is vaporised within the ovens causes further quality problems.

According to the invention there is provided a continuous process for preparing bread, comprising the steps of:(a) preparing a quantity of dough, (b) cutting and shaping the dough to form loaf-sized dough pieces, (c) conveying baking tins to a greasing apparatus, (d) sensing the temperature of tins entering the greasing apparatus, (e) sensing when a tray is beneath spray heads of the greasing apparatus, - 3 (f) spraying a vegetable based emulsion grease onto each tin as it passes beneath the spray heads to coat an inner surface of a tin, the spraying being regulated in response to the sensed tin temperature, (g) conveying each tin to a tin filling station, (h) delivering a dough piece into each tin at a tin filling station, (i) conveying the tins through a continuous oven to cook the dough to form bread, (j) vacuum removing the bread from each tin, and (k) conveying each empty tin back to the greasing tin to repeat the cycle, Preferably the grease spray is controlled to decrease the quantity of grease sprayed into a tray when the tray is hot.

Ideally the quantity of grease supplied to each tin is controlled by altering the length of spray time.

In a further embodiment a finer spray of grease is delivered to the tins when cold. - 4 In a further embodiment the process includes the step of delivering the trays through the greasing apparatus on a continuously running conveyer having an associated stop means having an arm engagable with the tins to stop movement of the tins with the conveyer.

In a preferred embodiment the dough is prepared by mixing preset quantities of ingredients including flour, water, yeast, salt and improver, the water being pre-heated such that when mixed with the other ingredients the dough has a temperature of 27°C.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of an embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Fig. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method of preparing 15 bread according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of portion of an apparatus for carrying out the method, Fig. 3 is a plan view of portion of the apparatus, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a further portion of the apparatus. - 5 Referring to the drawings the process according to the invention will be described. A quantity of dough is prepared in a mixer 10. The dough comprises principally flour and water with suitable amounts of yeast, salt and improver.

Water for the dough is preheated such that, when mixed, the dough has a temperature of approximately 27°C.

From the mixer 10 the dough passes through a divider 12 which cuts the dough into loaf size dough pieces. Leaving the divider 12, the dough pieces are passed through a balling machine which forms each piece into a ball. The dough pieces are then delivered to a first proving apparatus 14 in which the dough is allowed to rest for approximately six minutes. After proving, the dough pieces are delivered to a moulder 16 which shapes each dough piece into a loaf shape.

A number of baking tins 20 are conveyed through a greasing apparatus 21 having three spray heads 22 for spraying a vegetable based emulsion grease to coat an inner surface of each tin 20. The greased tins 20 are passed from the greasing apparatus 21 to a tin filling station 30 in which a dough piece, delivered from the moulder 16, is dropped into each tin 20. Downstream of the tin filling station 30, the tins 20 pass through a final prover 32. This passage takes approximately 50 minutes. The temperature within the final prover is approximately 45°C and the relative humidity is - 6 maintained at 80-85%. From the final prover 32 the tins are conveyed through a continuous oven 36 to cook the dough to form bread. The oven is at a temperature of approximately 29°C and the tins take approximately 20 minutes to pass through the oven 36.

Downstream of the oven 36 is a vacuum operated de-tinning apparatus 40 which removes the loaves of bread from the tins 20. The bread is then cooled, sliced and packaged at a cooling station 42, slicing station 44 and packing station 46 respectively. Empty tins 20 from the de-tinning apparatus 40 are conveyed back to the greasing apparatus 21 to repeat the cycle, being greased for reuse.

Referring now to in particular to Figs. 2 and 3 the greasing apparatus 21 is shown. The greasing apparatus has three spray heads 22 spaced-apart and extending transversely above a conveyer 23 on which the tins 20 are carried. The conveyer 23 has a continuously running stainless steal belt 24 which delivers the tins 20 beneath the spray heads 22 and then to the tin filling station 30 in which a dough piece is dropped into each greased tin 20. Sensing means to detect the presence of tins 20 at the greasing apparatus 21 comprises a light beam transmitted between a light transmitter 25 and light receiver 26 on opposite sides of the conveyer 23, the light beam being broken by tins 20 as they pass beneath the - 7 spray heads 22 for delivery of a spray of grease to the tins .

Upstream of the greasing apparatus 21 a stop means is provided for the tins 20. The stop means has an arm 27 mounted on a rotatable shaft 28 above the conveyer belt 24. A catch plate 29 is provided at a free end of the arm 27. The shaft 28 is rotatable for movement of the arm 27 between a disengaged position above the tins 20 on the conveyer and an engaged position in which the catch plate 29 extends downwardly to engage the tins 20 on the conveyer thus stopping movement of the tins 20 with the conveyer belt 24. The stop means is operable, for example when there is an interruption in the supply of dough pieces to the tin filling station 30 to prevent the passage of empty greased tins 20 through the tin filling station 30 and on through the rest of the cycle.

The quantity of grease sprayed into each tin 20 at the greasing apparatus 21 is controlled in response to the temperature of the tins 20. In an initial start-up situation the tins 20 are relatively cold and grease sprayed onto an 20 interior of each tin 20 tends to collect in spaced-apart globules on the inner surface of the tin 20. As the tins 20 are cold the grease does not tend to spread easily. Therefore, to ensure an adequate coverage of the inner surface of each tin 20 the spray time is increased to increase the quantity of grease sprayed onto each tin 20 thus ensuring - 8 adequate coverage of the inner surface of each tin 20 with grease. When the tins 20 have been through the baking cycle once they will be warm on their return from the vacuum detinning machine 40. Grease sprayed onto the warm tins 20 does spread relatively easily and the quantity of grease applied to the tins 20 is reduced by decreasing the spray time.

There are a number of ways of controlling the amount of grease sprayed onto the tins 20. The simplest system involves two settings of the spray time, namely, a high level setting and a low level setting. The high level setting is used for increased grease delivery to relatively cold tins 20 and once the tins 20 have been through the cycle and are warmed up the spray apparatus is switched over to the low level setting to deliver less grease to the heated tins 20.

As an alternative to, or in addition to, increasing the spray time for cold tins 20 a finer spray of grease may be applied to the tins 20 when cold to give a more even distribution of grease on the inner surface of each tin 20.

It is conventional practice to have a single grease seating for the greasing apparatus. As this setting has to cope with both cold and hot tins sufficient grease must be supplied to adequately coat cold tins. However it has been found that by controlling the grease spray in response to the temperature of the tins, thus providing less grease to the hot tins this can - 9 lead to a 5 - 10 % saving on the quantity of grease used. Further an improved quality loaf is produced by minimizing the amount of grease required for coating the tins. Excess grease apart from adversely affecting the taste of the product also tends to soften the crust of the bread which can lead to problems with slicing the bread.

It will also be appreciated that the stop means for the tins travelling on the conveyer advantageously prevents the passage of empty grease tins through the process thus preventing wastage of grease and the adverse affects of vaporised grease from empty tins in the continuous oven during the baking process .

The invention is not limited to the embodiment hereinbefore described which may be varied in detail.

Claims (8)

1. A continuous process for preparing bread, comprising the steps of:10 (a) preparing a quantity of dough, (b) cutting and shaping the dough to form loafsized dough pieces, (c) conveying baking tins to a greasing apparatus, (d) sensing the temperature of tins entering the greasing apparatus, (e) sensing when a tray is beneath spray heads of the greasing apparatus, (f) spraying a vegetable based emulsion grease onto each tin as it passes beneath the spray heads to coat an inner surface of the tin, the spraying being regulated in response to the sensed tin temperature, (g) conveying each tin to a tin filling station, !E 912621 - 11 (h) delivering a dough piece into each tin at a tin filling station, (i) conveying the tins through a continuous oven to cook the dough to form bread, (j) vacuum removing the bread from each tin, and (k) conveying each empty tin back to the greasing apparatus to repeat the cycle.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the grease spray is controlled to decrease the quantity of grease sprayed 10 into a tray when the tray is hot.

3. A process as claimed in claim 2 wherein the quantity of grease supplied to each tin is controlled by altering the length of spray time.

4. A process as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a 15 finer spray of grease is delivered to the tins when cold.

5. A process as claimed in any preceding claim including the step of delivering the trays through the greasing apparatus on a continuously running conveyer having an associated stop means having an arm engagable with the 20 tins to stop movement of the tins with the conveyer.

6. A process as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the dough is prepared by mixing preset quantities of ingredients including flour, water, yeast, salt and improver, the water being pre-heated such that when the water is mixed with the other ingredients the dough formed has a temperature of about 27°C.

7. A process substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. Bread whenever produced by a process as claimed in any preceding claim.