A Method of Preparing Frozen Pieces of Bread Dough and of Preparing Bread Products

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A Method of Preparing Frozen Pieces of Bread Dough and of Preparing Bread Products Europaisches Patentamt 19 European Patent Office Office europeen des brevets © Publication number: 0 384 539 B1 12 EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION @ Date of publication of patent specification © int. ci.5: A21D 6/00, A21D 8/06 16.06.93 Bulletin 93/24 (2j) Application number : 90200412.6 (22) Date of filing : 21.02.90 (54) A method of preparing frozen pieces of bread dough and of preparing bread products. (30) Priority : 22.02.89 NL 8900436 (56) References cited : US-A- 4 372 982 US-A- 4 374 151 (43) Date of publication of application PROCEEDINGS OF THE 56TH ANNUAL MEET- 29.08.90 Bulletin 90/35 ING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF BAKERY ENGINEERS (ASBE) 1980, pages 38-43; B.E. BOYD: "Manufacture and processing of fro- @ Publication of the grant of the patent : zen dough" 16.06.93 Bulletin 93/24 (73) Proprietor : Ahold Retail Services AG Baarerstrasse 82 @ Designated Contracting States : AT BE CH DE DK ES FR GB GR IT LI LU NL SE CH-6300 Zug (CH) Inventor Pieter (56) References cited : (72) : Sluimer, EP-A 114 450 c/o TNO, Lawickse Allee 15 EP-A 115 108 NL-6701 AN Wageningen (NL) EP-A 145 367 EP-A 194 189 EP-A 311 240 @) Representative : Smulders, Theodorus A.H.J., FR-A 344 229 Ir. et al FR-A 589 043 Vereenigde Octrooibureaux Nieuwe Parklaan 97 NL-2587 BN 's-Gravenhage (NL) CO CO If) 00 CO Note : Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been LU filed until the opposition fee has been paid (Art. 99(1) European patent convention). Jouve, 18, rue Saint-Denis, 75001 PARIS 1 EP 0 384 539 B1 2 Description tein-rich flour, however, is difficult to obtain and ex- pensive. This invention relates to a method of preparing EP-A-0, 145,367 (General Foods Corporation) frozen pieces of bread dough, in which dough is discloses a method of preparing entirely proofed pas- kneaded, and subsequently entirely shaped and 5 try dough, enabling to freeze doughpieces formed proofed doughpieces are prepared and frozen, which therefrom and, after a given storage period, to place pieces of bread dough can be stored in a freezer for these directly from the freezer in an oven to be baked. some time and subsequently placed from the freezer Defrosting and final proofing are not necessary ac- without defrosting step in an oven and be baked off. cording to EP-A-1, 045,367 when flour having a pro- The invention also relates to a method of preparing 10 tein content lower than 16% is used, the dough is bread products from frozen pieces of bread dough. kneaded at a low intensity and the doughpieces are The preparation of bread in which yeast is used frozen slowly. However, such a pastry dough is un- as a proofing agent, comprises substantially the fol- suitable for preparing bread products, and so is the lowing steps. First, the dough is kneaded, after which method described. the so-called preproof ing and preshaping take place. 15 EP-A-0, 114,450 (General Foods Corporation) Subsequently, the so-called intermediate proofing describes a method of preparing entirely proofed, step and the definitive shaping take place. Finally, the frozen doughpieces from bread dough, which dough- final proofing or pan proofing takes place and then pieces can be baked off in an oven directly from the the entirely raised and shaped dough is baked. The freezer, without intermediate defrosting step. To ob- end product is a bread product. 20 tain an end product of good quality according to this The total process takes quite a long time, depend- known technique, it is necessary that gum, surfac- ing on the ingredients used, local tradition and the tants and ingredients that can form a protein film are like, which in certain cases may be as long as about added to the dough. six hours, The process cannot be interrupted in prin- EP-A-1 ,094, 189 (Grands Moulins de Pantin) de- ciple, since the action of the yeast, i.e. the proofing 25 scribes a method of preparing French bread, in which process, continues. frozen doughpieces are prepared that can be placed Owing to the long duration of this process and the directly from the freezer in an oven to be baked off. demand for fresh bread in the morning hours, bread The technique described, according to which the preparation mostly takes place during the night, which doughpieces should rise at low temperature (about is felt as a drawback. Besides, variations in demand 30 0°C) for a prolonged period (about 48 hours) and sub- cannot be coped with. Therefore, a possibility to inter- sequently be frozen at -50°C, requires much time and rupt the bread preparation process has been looked is difficult to realize in actual practice. Furthermore, for. The process can then take place, at least partly, no final proofing takes place according to this known at a more convenient point of time and, if desired, in method. a different place. 35 FR-A-2,344,229 (Bourdon) describes a method It is known to cool the dough after shaping and of preparing products from puff pastry dough, in prior to the final proofing, to e.g. -12°C. The proofing which a flour is used that is rich in gluten. The pieces process is then interrupted and can be resumed one formed from the puff pastry dough are caused to rise, or some days later. but the proofing process is discontinued abruptly It is further known to freeze a definitively shaped 40 half-way by freezing the doughpieces quickly. doughpiece prior to the final proofing. Such a frozen US-A-4,374,151 (Lindstrom) discloses a method doughpiece can be further processed until about 3 of preparing frozen pieces of bread dough, in which months later. To that effect, the doughpiece is first de- dough is kneaded, and subsequently entirely shaped frosted at 0°C, which may take from one to ten hours, and proofed doughpieces are prepared and frozen, depending on the weight. Thereafter the final proof- 45 which pieces of bread dough can be stored in a freez- ing takes place at normal temperature for 1 to Vh er for some time and subsequently placed from the hours and finally, the doughpiece is baked. Accord- freezer in a cold oven without separate prior defrost- ingly, this so-called bake-off process takes much ing step and baked off. In order to obtain a good loaf time, so that a similar drawback is encountered as in volume and oven spring a large quantity of water and the non-interrupted bread preparation process. 50 a melting-point depressant, which may be ethanol, is EP-A-0,115,108 (General Foods Corporation) added to the dough, as well as a large amount of su- discloses a method of freezing fully shaped and gar. The need for a cold oven makes this method un- proofed doughpiece. The frozen doughpiece, accord- suitable for commercial purposes. ing to the known method, can be placed directly from It appears from the above cited literature that it the freezer in an oven to be baked off. To obtain a 55 has been tried in the past in various manners to de- good quality of the end product, however, it is neces- velop methods for both bread products and other sary according to this known technique, to use flour dough products, according to which a frozen dough- having a protein content of 16% or higher. Such a pro- piece can be prepared that has a long storage and 2 3 EP 0 384 539 B1 4 shelf life in frozen condition and which can be baked dough structure and also has an adverse effect on off directly from the freezer without intermediate de- the yeast cells. frosting step. According to the present invention, the bread A drawback of the known methods is that in ac- product preparation is interrupted, not after shaping, tual practice these are difficult to realize and/or time- 5 but after the final proofing step by freezing the after- consuming and/or expensive, while also the quality of proofed doughpieces, as illustrated in Fig. 3 at 10. It the end product is not always optimal. has been established experimentally that doughpiec- The present invention specifically relates to the es thus frozen can be baked off directly in a preheat- preparation of frozen pieces of bread dough, and pro- ed or non-preheated oven and that nevertheless a vides an improved effective method of preparing froz- 10 good product can be obtained. Consequently, prior en pieces of bread dough, and bread products respec- (slow) defrosting is not necessary and the final proof- tively. According to the invention, a method of prepar- ing has already been accomplished before the freez- ing frozen pieces of bread dough as described above ing step. A defrosting cell can be dispensed with as is characterized in that alcohol is added during knead- well. As a result, bake-off can take place at any de- ing with an intensity chosen insuchamannerthatthe ls sired moment and hence can be effected in the su- temperature of the raw materials is increased by 1 0°C permarket, but also in the consumer's home without or more. any problems.
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