IES20001052A2 - Bread manufacturing process - Google Patents

Abstract

Dough is prepared (10) and divided (12) into pieces which are delivered through an initial power (14). Baking tins (21) are greased (22) internally and at a filling station (20), dough pieces are dropped into each tin. The tins are then delivered through a final prover (28). As tins leave the final prover (28), a water film is sprayed onto a top surface of dough within the tins. A top dressing material is then sprinkled onto the top surface of the dough by a top dressing apparatus (30) which includes an overhead carriage which traverses across a conveyor on which the tins are travelling, at the same time sprinkling the top dressing material onto the dough beneath the carriage. The tins are then delivered through a continuous oven (34) for baking the dough to form loaves of baked bread. Downstream of the oven (34), the loaves are removed from the tins (36), cooled (40) and then delivered for finishing (42) which includes packaging with or without prior slicing of the loaves. <Figure 1>

Description

- 1 “Bread Manufacturing Process' Introduction IE001052 CRcN TO FUoUC li\2PECTh UNDER SECTION 28 AND RUI JNL No. OF rfkfeV* This invention relates to a process and apparatus for manufacturing bread.

The invention particularly relates to improvements to a baking process of the type described in our previously filed patent application disclosed in GB Patent Specification No. 2257889.

Statements of Invention According to the invention, there is provided a bread loaf manufacturing process comprising the steps:15 preparing a quantity of dough, dividing the dough into dough pieces of a desired size, 0 delivering said dough pieces through an initial prover for proving the dough pieces for a desired time period, delivering the dough pieces to a baking tin filling station, conveying baking tins to a greasing apparatus, sensing the temperature of tins entering the greasing apparatus, sensing when a tin is beneath spray heads of the greasing apparatus, 0 spraying grease onto each tin as it passes beneath the spray heads for coating an inner surface of the tin, the spraying being regulated in response to the sensed tin temperature, : INT Cl -----A2-IP conveying each tin to a tin filling station - 2 IE001052 dropping one or more dough pieces into each tin at the tin filling station, passing the dough filled tins through a final prover, as each tin leaves the final prover, spraying a film of liquid onto a top surface of the dough in the tin, delivering each tin beneath a top dressing apparatus for applying a top dressing material over the liquid coated top surface of the dough in the tins, said top dressing apparatus comprising a carriage mounted on an overhead rail for traversing transversely across a conveyor upon which the tin is travelling, the carriage having a hopper containing top dressing material, discharging said top dressing material from the hopper through a discharge auger having a tubular body encasing a screw, a discharge opening being provided along a lowermost wall portion of the body for gravity discharge of top dressing material as it is conveyed through the auger, thus sprinkling the top dressing material onto the liquid coated top surface of the dough in the tins, delivering the tins through a continuous oven, baking the dough in the oven to form loaves of baked bread, removing baked loaves from the tins, and packaging the loaves of baked bread.

In one embodiment, the process includes the step of making a cut in the top surface of the dough within each tin as the tin is travelling between the final prover and the oven, the cut being made in the dough by a water jet on the carriage of the top coating apparatus whilst moving the carriage transversely above the conveyor on which the tin is travelling.

In another embodiment, the process includes conveying excess coating material through the auger body of the top coating apparatus and returning said excess - 3 IE001052 material to the hopper.

In a further embodiment, the process includes the step of cleaning the tins upstream of the greasing station by delivering each tin into a cleaning chamber, rotating brushes within the cleaning chamber engaging with the tin for brushing particulate material from an inner side wall of the tin, applying a vacuum to an interior of the chamber for extraction of particulate material brushed from the tins.

In another embodiment, each baking tin is adapted for forming a number of bread loaves side by side within the tin, the tin having a rectangular base with an upstanding front wall at one end of the base, and a rear wall at the opposite end of the base, and side walls extending between the front and rear walls, at least one low internal divider wall upstanding from the base intermediate the front wall and rear wall and substantially parallel thereto, the internal divider wall extending only partially up the side walls to subdivide the tin into a number of loaf forming compartments, each tin being earned by a conveyor through the tin filling station, a stop arm being provided to stop each tin at the tin filling station for delivering dough into each loaf forming compartment, said stop arm being pivotally mounted on a support for pivoting into the tin to engage each internal divider wall in turn for temporarily stopping the tin while delivering the dough into an adjacent loaf forming compartment Detailed Description of the Invention The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Fig. 1 is a schematic flowchart illustrating a bread loaf manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the portion of apparatus used in the bread baking process; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of coating apparatus used in the process; - 4 IE001052 Fig. 4 is an underneath plan view of the coating apparatus of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a schematic side sectional elevational view of a tin cleaning apparatus used in the process; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a baking tin used in one embodiment of the process; and Fig. 7 is a detail sectional elevational view illustrating stop apparatus for the tin at a dough filing station used in the process.

Referring to the drawings, a bread baking apparatus and process of the invention will be described. Selected ingredient materials are delivered to a mixer 10 within which they are mixed to form a quantity of dough. Dough discharged from the mixer is passed through a divider 12 which separates the dough into dough pieces of a desired weight which are then delivered through an initial prover 14. After proving, the dough pieces are delivered to a baking tin filling station 20.

Immediately upstream of the filling station 20, baking tins 21 are conveyed through a greasing station 22 at which a controlled quantity of grease is sprayed onto an interior surface of each tin 21 by means of one or more spray heads 23 in the manner described in GB 2257889. Greased tins 21 are then delivered to the tin filling station 20 in which the initially proved dough pieces are dropped into the tins 21.

Downstream of the tin filling station 20, the dough carrying tins are delivered through a final prover 28.

Downstream of the final prover 28, at a top dressing station 30, a film of liquid, preferably water, is sprayed onto a top surface of the dough in the tins. If desired also, a top dressing of flour, sesame seeds or the like, is sprinkled onto the wetted top surface of the dough. If desired also, a cut is made in the top surface of the dough by means of water jets as will be described later.

IE001052 - 5 After treating the top surface of the dough in the tins, the tins are delivered through a continuous baking oven 34 within which the dough is baked within each tin to form loaves of baked bread.

After discharge from the oven 34, the baked loaves are removed from the tins at a detinning station 36, the tins being delivered through a cleaning station 38 prior to return to the greasing station 22.

At the same time, the hot baked loaves are cooled 40 and then delivered for finishing 42 such as optionally slicing the loaves and packaging the loaves which may include wrapping the loaves or simply arranging whole unsliced loaves on trays for dispatch.

Referring now to Fig. 2, there is shown an outlet end 50 of the final prover and an inlet end 52 of the continuous oven 34. A conveyor 53 conveys rows of tins arranged transversely across the conveyor 53 between the outlet 50 of the final prover 28 and the inlet 52 of the oven 34.

As each row of tins 21 exits the final prover 28, the tins 21 pass beneath a spray bar 55. This spray bar 55 is connected to a fresh water supply (not shown). The spray bar 55 has a plurality of spaced-apart spray heads on an underside of the spray bar 55 for discharging a fine misty spray of water downwardly for coating a top surface of each dough piece in each tin 21 with a film of water.

The top dressing station 30 comprises a carnage 60 movable along overhead rails 62 to traverse transversely across the conveyor 53 on which the tins 21 are travelling. A top dressing material 61 is contained in a hopper 68 on the carriage 60. At a bottom outlet end of the hopper 68 is a discharge auger 63. This discharge auger 63 has a tubular body 64 within which is mounted an auger screw (not shown). A line of openings 65 (Fig. 4) extending along a bottom of the body 64 allows the top dressing material 61 to fall downwardly to sprinkle over the dough pieces within the tins 21. To ensure an even spread of top dressing material 61, excess material is carried through the body 64 to a return chamber 66 from where it is returned via a return auger 67 to the hopper 68. As the row of tins 21 passes beneath the rails 62, the carriage 60 is traversed on the rail 62 sprinkling a top coating of flour, sesame seeds or the like onto - 6 IE001052 the wetted top surface of the dough pieces within the tins 21.

Also mounted on the carriage 60 are a number of water jets 69 which are operable as the carriage 60 moves over the tins 21 to make cuts across the top surface of dough pieces in the tins 21.

Referring to Fig. 5, the cleaning apparatus 38 for the tins 21 is shown. The cleaning apparatus 38 has a cleaning chamber 70 through which a conveyor 71 carrying tins 21 passes. Within the cleaning chamber 70, a pair of contra-rotating brushes 72, 73 are provided so that as a tin 21 enters through an inlet 74 of the chamber 70, the brushes 72, 73 engage and dean particulate material from an inside surface of each tin 21. Such particulate material, upon removal from the tins 21 is then extracted through a vacuum discharge 76 for disposal of said particulate material. Cleaned tins are discharged through an outlet 77 for delivery to the greasing station 22.

Referring in particular to Figs. 6 and 7, there is shown one specialised type of baking tin, indicated generally by the reference numeral 80 which can be used in the process. This tin 80 has a rectangular base 81 with an upstanding front wall 82, rear wall 83 and side walls 84, 85 extending between the front wall 82 and rear wall 83. Two low internal divider walls 86 are upstanding on the base 81 within the tin 80 and are spaced-apart to subdivide the tin into three loaf forming compartments 87, 88, 89. As shown in Fig. 7, each tin 80 is carried by a conveyor 90 through the tin filling station 20. At the tin filling station 20, a stop arm 92 is pivoted on a spindle 93 by means of a ram 94 for movement between a raised disengaged position and a lowered position in which a free end 96 of the arm 92 engages with an internal wall 86 to temporarily stop the tin 80 for delivery of dough into one of the compartments 87, 88, 89. The stop arm 92 engages each internal wall 86 in turn for delivering dough to each compartment 87, 88, 89.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied within the scope of the appended claims. - 7 IE001052

Claims (5)

1. A bread loaf manufacturing process comprising the steps:preparing a quantity of dough, dividing the dough into dough pieces of a desired size, delivering said dough pieces through an initial prover for proving the dough pieces for a desired time period, delivering the dough pieces to a baking tin filling station, conveying baking tins to a greasing apparatus, sensing the temperature of tins entering the greasing apparatus, sensing when a tin is beneath spray heads of the greasing apparatus, spraying grease onto each tin as it passes beneath the spray heads for coating an inner surface of the tin, the spraying being regulated in response to the sensed tin temperature, conveying each tin to a tin filling station, dropping one or more dough pieces into each tin at the tin filling station, passing the dough filled tins through a final prover, as each tin leaves the final prover, spraying a film of liquid onto a top surface of the dough in the tin, delivering each tin beneath a top dressing apparatus for applying a top dressing material over the liquid coated top surface of the dough in the - 8 IE001052 tins, said top dressing apparatus comprising a carriage mounted on an overhead rail for traversing transversely across a conveyor upon which the tin is travelling, the carriage having a hopper containing top dressing material, discharging said top dressing material from the hopper through a discharge auger having a tubular body encasing a screw, a discharge opening being provided along a lowermost wall portion of the body for gravity discharge of top dressing material as it is conveyed through the auger, thus sprinkling the top dressing material onto the liquid coated top surface of the dough in the tins, delivering the tins through a continuous oven, baking the dough in the oven to form loaves of baked bread, removing baked loaves from the tins, and packaging the loaves of baked bread.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1, including the step of making a cut in the top surface of the dough within each tin as the tin is travelling between the final prover and the oven, the cut being made in the dough by a water jet on the carriage of the top coating apparatus whilst moving the carriage transversely above the conveyor on which the tin is travelling.

3. A process as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each baking tin is adapted for forming a number of bread loaves side by side within the tin, the tin haring a rectangular base with an upstanding front wall at one end of the base, and a rear wall at the opposite end of the base, and side walls extending between the front and rear walls, at least one low internal divider wall upstanding from the base intermediate the front wail and rear wall and substantially parallel thereto, the internal divider wall extending only partially up the side walls to subdivide the tin into a number of loaf forming compartments, each tin being carried by a conveyor through the tin filling station, a stop arm being provided to stop each tin at the tin filling station for delivering dough into each loaf forming compartment, said stop arm being pivotally mounted on a IE001052 support for pivoting into the tin to engage each internal divider wall in turn for temporarily stopping the tin while delivering the dough into an adjacent loaf forming compartment 5

4. A bread loaf manufacturing process substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5. Bread loaves whenever manufactured according to the process as claimed in any preceding claim.