WO2000007448A1

WO2000007448A1 - A method and device for forming a dough piece of uniform thickness into a pizza base

Info

Publication number: WO2000007448A1
Application number: PCT/NL1999/000497
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cornelis Rijkaart
Original assignee: Sasib Holland N.V.
Priority date: 1998-08-04
Filing date: 1999-08-04
Publication date: 2000-02-17
Also published as: NL1009799C2

Abstract

A method and device for moulding a blank of dough (d1) to form a pizza base. The blank of dough is put on a support (1) and a filmy air stream is passed from the centre radially outwardly across the surface of the blank of dough (d1). The filmy air stream that is directed radially outwardly provides a progressively increasing, radially outwardly directed transport of dough across the surface of the blank of dough, without affecting the texture of the dough.

Description

Short title: A method and device for forming a dough piece of uniform thickness into a pizza base.

The invention relates to a method as defined in the first part of claim 1.

Such a method is known from US 5,547,695. With this well-known method the moulding stamp is a press stamp, by means of which the dough piece to be worked is compressed to a dough piece of a reduced and uniform thickness. Air which is used with the well-known method is primarily for the pneumatic drive of the moulding stamp. Moreover the moulding stamp used with the well-known method is provided with a central valve, through which air may be supplied to the stamp surface. The supply of air to the stamp surface is actually taking place when the stamp is moving upwardly, after the moulding of the dough piece to form a pizza base being completed. The only reason for supplying air to the stamp surface is to release the moulded pizza base from the stamp.

The invention aims at providing an improved method for moulding a blank of dough to form a pizza base, which aim is achieved through the features which are mentioned in the second part of claim 1.

Unlike the well-known method the moulding stamp with the present method does not perform a compressive action onto the dough; the stamp surface merely serves to guide the radially outwardly flowing air film, that causes dough from the dough surface to move radially outwardly. The present method results in a pizza base with a thickness that decreases from the (thickened) outer edge towards the centre, which is characteristic for a completely hand-made pizza base. Traditionally, after a lump of dough having been first rolled out to a blank of a uniform thickness, such pattern of inwardly decreasing thickness is brought about by the pizza baker through particular techniques. These techniques include e.g. rotation of the blank of dough is progressively stretched from the edge of the blank towards the centre, which results in the desired variation in thickness.

The invention also relates to a device for carrying out the above mentioned method, said device having the features which are mentioned in the first part of claim 3 and disclosed in US 5,547,695. According to the present invention the well-known device has been made suitable for carrying out the improved method of the invention thanks the measures which are mentioned in the second part of claim 3.

Further features of a device of the present invention are mentioned in claims 4 and 5.

The invention will be hereinafter further explained by way of example with reference to the drawing.

Fig. 1A is a vertical cross-sectional view through a stamp body including an air permeable plate and an bordering/cutting ring according to the invention, in a released position above a conveyor belt with a dough sheet laying on the latter; fig. IB shows the moulding device in the operative position, at the start of the moulding treatment and fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view through a blank of dough that has been moulded to form a pizza base according to the present invention.

1 is a supporting surface, which, in the example shown herein, is formed by a conveyor belt that is movably supported on a supporting bed not shown. The moulding device 2 of the present invention is provided above the conveyor belt. The moulding device comprises a stamp body

3 in the form of a circular disc, having at its lower side an air permeable plate 4. The plate 4 constitutes the bottom of an air distribution chamber 5, which is recessed within the stamp body 3 and may be supplied with pressuri- zed air (e.g. air of a pressure of about 2 bar) through one or more connections 6. The air permeable plate 4 may be a porous plate of sintered material, such as the material which is known under the trade name "VYON" .

The stamp body 3 is attached, through spacer elements 7 , to the lower side of a supporting plate 8. The suppor- ting plate 8 has in its centre a raised portion 9 , through which the moulding device 2 may be threadingly connected to the lower end of a drive mechanism 10, here in the form of a pneumatic cylinder.

The stamp body 3 is surrounded by a bordering ring 11, which is movable up and down relative to the stamp body 3. The bordering ring 11 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced rods 12 which extend upwardly from the upper annular face of said ring and through corresponding openings in the supporting plate 8. Nuts 13 are provided on the upper ends of the rods 12. Springs 14 are provided around the rods 12 between the supporting plate and the ring 11.

On the inner side of the ring 11 there is provided a circumferential recess 15 with a spherically shaped upper face 16. A bevel 17 is provided at the outer circumference of the ring 11, so that the ring 11 ends up into a cutting edge 18. This enables the ring 11 to function as a cutting ring as well.

In fig. 1A the moulding device 2 stands with its ring 11 loosely supported on the conveyor belt 1. The supporting plate 8 together with the stamp body 3 suspending therefrom are supported on the springs 14 and through the latter on the ring 11. Upon attachment of the moulding device 2 to the cylinder 10, which is shown in its upper position in fig. 1A, the moulding device 2 becomes freely suspending above the conveyor belt 1.

The attachment of the moulding device 2 to the pneumatic cylinder is vertically adjustable. The vertical adjustment is selected in dependence of the stroke of the pneumatic cylinder 10 and the thickness of the blank of dough to be worked. It will be appreciated that upon attachment of the moulding device 2 to the pneumatic cylinder 10 the downward stroke of the pneumatic cylinder will take the moulding device 2 into a position, in which the bordering/ cutting ring 11 is pressed through the dough sheet d onto the conveyor belt 3, whereby the cutting ring 11 cuts a blank of dough dl from the dough sheet d.

Taking the example of a 4 mm thick sheet d of dough which may have undergone a first firmentation, the moul- ding device is adjusted to a height such that at the end of the operative stroke of the cylinder 10 the air permeable plate 4 will be just in contact with the circular blank of dough dl, that has been previously cut from the dough sheet d by means of the bordering/cutting ring 11. This stage is shown in fig. IB. Just before reaching this stage or continuously pressurized air (having a pressure of e.g. 2 bar) is supplied through connection 6 to the distribution chamber 5 as a result of which an air film will start to be formed between the air permeable plate 4 and the surface of the blank of dough dl immediately upon reaching the stage of fig. lb, which air film is moving radially outwardly and thereby causes dough from the surface of the blank of dough to move radially outwardly. At the periphery the air flow moves into the recess 15, from which it is allowed to escape to the atmosphere through vents (not shown) which extend from the upper part of the recess 15, and through the clearance space between the ring 11 and the stamp body 3. According to the progress of the treatment the recess 15 will be gradually filled up by the radially outwardly moving dough. The treatment time is selected such, that at the end of the treatment the recess 15 will be just filled up. The worked blank of dough dl within the thus enlarged circumferential edge shows a thickness, which decreases - starting from the outer edge - gradially from about 4 mm to about 2 mm in the centre. At the end of the working time, which is in the order of 5 sec) the cylinder 10 moves the moulding device 2 into the upper, inoperative position, so as to be prepared to perform a next treatment on a next blank of dough dl to be cut from the dough sheet d.

In fact, with the method and device according to the present invention the air film between the air permeable plate and the blank of dough to be treated has two functions, viz. the function of "greasing or releasing means" on the one hand and the function of dough transporting and thereby dough moulding means. Instead of using a conveyor belt as is shown in the above example, the blank of dough to be treated could also be supported on a baking plate, on which the moulded pizza base is kept until all further pizza preparing steps, including the baking process, have been carried out.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. A method for moulding a blank of dough of uniform thickness to form a pizza base, wherein the blank of dough is laying on a support and a moulding stamp is placed onto the blank of dough to cause dough from the blank of dough to move to the periphery of the blank and form a thickened edge and wherein air is used, characterized in that the air is supplied between the dough surface and the moulding stamp in the form of an air film that moves from the centre radially outwardly and causes dough to move radially outwardly across the dough surface.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the air is uniformly supplied across the entire surface of the moulding stamp.

3. A device for performing the method according to claims 1-2 comprising a support for a blank of dough to be worked, a moulding stamp adapted to be lowered from an inoperative position to a position on the blank of dough to be worked, said stamp being provided with air supply means, and a bordering ring surrounding the moulding stamp at the lower end of the latter, said bordering ring having at its inner circumference a circumferential space for collecting dough that has moved radially outwardly, characterized in that the lower face of the moulding stamp is formed to discharge the air as a filmy air stream.

4. A device according to claim 3, characterized in that an air permeable plate is provided on the lower side of the moulding stamp, said plate forming the bottom of an air chamber within the stamp.

5. A device according to claim 4, characterized in that the air permeable plate is a porous plate formed of sintered material.