United States Patent (19) 11 3,900,570 Stigler (45) Aug
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United States Patent (19) 11 3,900,570 Stigler (45) Aug. 19, 1975 54 FERMENTATION ADJUVANT FOR YEAST 3,065,08 () l l l 1962 Melnick et al.......................... 426/9 LEAVENED BREAD PROCESSES 3.433,645 3/1969 Egan et al............................. 426/24 3.494,770 2/1970 Smerak et al..................... 426/26 X (75) Inventor: Edward A. Stigler, Palos Heights, I. Primary Examiner-James R. Hoffman 73 Assignee: Walter M. Christensen, Milwaukee, Wis. ; a part interest 57 ABSTRACT 22 Filed: Oct. 23, 1973 Yeast leavened bread having improved characteristics 21 Appl. No.: 408,551 is prepared by adding a premixed fermentation adju vant, including a glyceride emulsifier, yeast nutrients, Related U.S. Application Data oxidizing agents and other conventional additives, 63 Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 85,445, Sept. 30, such as salt, calcium sulphate and/or monocalcium 1971, abandoned. phosphate, calcium propionate and/or sodium propio nate mold inhibitors, and fillers such as wheat and/or 52) U.S. C. ........................ 426/9: 426/24; 426/97; corn flours, as a single charge to the dough mixture. 426/ 151; 426/226; 426/335; 426/342 The adjuvant can be added along with the yeast and 5 Int. Cl... A21D 2/02; A21D 2/04; A21 D 2/16; other basic bread-making ingredients during the initial A2l D 2/22 dough or brew mixing phase, thereby eliminating the 58 Field of Search............... 42619, 24, 25, 26, 97, heretofore standard procedure of adding numerous 426/15, 226, 342, 335 ingredients at various stages of dough mixing phases. In addition to eliminating various scaling procedures 56 References Cited for each of the ingredients replaced thereby, the adju UNITED STATES PATENTS vant is effective in reducing the normal fermentation 2,903,361 9/959 Marks et al........................... 426/26 period, reducing mixing cycles, and decreasing the 2.97 (),95 2f 1961 Ferrari.......... ... 426/24 X pan-proofing period. 2.97 1845 21 1961 Ferrari.............................. 426/24 X 2,997,394 8/196 Melnick et al.......................... 426/9 16: Claims, No Drawings 3,900,570 2 FERMENTATION ADJUVANT FOR YEAST remaining additives are usually either added to the LEAVENED BREAD PROCESSES brew just prior to its transfer into the second mixer or introduced into the dough at some stage of develop ment from a separate tank. After the dough is formed CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION and developed in the second mixer, it is divided and This application is a continuation-in-part of applica thereafter handled in a conventional manner, such as tion Ser. No. 185,445, filed Sept. 30, 1971 and now rounding, molding, panning, intermediate proofing, abandoned. molding, and/or panning, final proofing, and baking. Modern day demand for dough handling characteris BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 10 tics, reduced fermentation periods, over-all bread qual This invention relates to an improved process for ity and extended shelf-like has resulted in many addi making yeast leavened bread. In the commercial pro tives i.e., yeast food, strengtheners, softeners, enzymes, duction of yeast leavened bread, a variety of additives oxidants, mold inhibitors, whitening agents, and vita are included in the dough formulation in addition to the mins, becoming standard ingredients in bread formulas, basic ingredients - flour, water, sweetner, yeast and 15 and separate steps for the addition of these compounds salt. These additives are used to improve processability are utilized in all dough mixing procedures. of the dough and to impart various characteristics to Furthermore, many of these compounds are used in the baked product. Typical additives of this type in a fine, powdered form and dust very badly during han clude yeast nutrients to increase yeast activity and dling. Consequently, the baker is plagued with a nasty thereby increase product volume, oxidizing agents to dusting problem, both during the scaling operation and improve dough stability and improve grain and texture the incorporation of these compounds into the dough. of the product, dough conditioning and strengthening The degree of dusting is sometimes so severe that oper agents to improve dough stability and processability of atOS are required to wear respiratory masks. In addi the dough, emulsifiers to increase softness and improve tion to the undesirability of dust-covered floors and shelf life of the product, fungal enzymes to reduce mix 25 equipment, steps must be taken to insure the powder ing periods and improve machinability, mold inhibitors does not get into the moving mechanisms of various to inhibit growth of mold, bacteria, and other micro surrounding equipment because of the potential gum organisms that impair shelf life and flavor of the prod ming problem produced thereby. uct, calcium peroxide to bleach and whiten the grain of the bread and vitamin enrichment additives. 30 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In current commercial processes, yeast nutrients, oxi An object of this invention is to provide an improved dizing agents, emulsifiers, dough conditioners, fungal process for making yeast leavened bread whereby all, enzymes, mold inhibitors, and whiteners are individu or substantially all, of the additives are added in a single ally scaled and added to the mixing process in separate step to the dough batch prior to fermentation. and time-consuming steps. Thus, the baker is required 35 Another object of this invention is to provide a fer to perform these functions separately and thereby bring mentation adjuvant, which can be added directly to a about a certain scaling cost factor which influences the yeast leavened dough during the initial mixing step of direct labor percentage of the unit cost. He is also com the process and which increases the activity of the yeast pelled to add these ingredients to the dough mixing and thereby reduces fermentation time. process in various stages to avoid certain undesirable 40 Other objects, aspects, and advantages of the inven reactions between the yeast and the additives. tion will become apparent upon reviewing the follow The two most widely used commercial processes for ing detailed description and the appended claims. making yeast leavened bread are the sponge dough pro In accordance with the invention, accelerated yeast cess and the continuous process. In the sponge dough fermentation and a bread having improved uniformity process, a sponge batch is initially prepared by admix 45 in volume, break and shred and crust characteristics is ing a portion of the basic ingredients and some of the produced by the addition of an adjuvant comprised of additives. This sponge batch is allowed to ferment for a blended mixture of an emulsifying agent, a yeast nu 4% to 5 hours and is then mixed with the remaining in trient and an oxidizing agent. The adjuvant is added to gredients and additives prior to baking. Typically, the a bread making process along with the yeast and other sponge batch is formed by mixing together about 60 to 50 basic bread making ingredients during the initial dough 70% of the flour, about 40% of the water, all of the making step prior to substantial fermentation. It has yeast and all the yeast food. After being allowed to fer been found that the use of the adjuvant of the invention ment for about 4% to 5 hours, the sponge batch is re produces a significant acceleration of the yeast activity mixed with the remaining portions of the flour, water thereby permitting the fermentation time to be reduced and other ingredients, such as sugar, salt, milk, fat, and 55 substantially. additives, such as mold inhibitor, emulsifier and vita When protection against mold is desired, a mold in min enrichment additives. The dough is allowed to hibitor selected from the group consisting of calcium relax in troughs for several minutes and is then divided, propionate, sodium propionate and mixtures thereof rounded, intermediately proofed, molded into desig can be advantageously included in the adjuvant. In nated shapes, panned, final proofed and baked. 60 order to preclude an undesirable increase in fermenta In the continuous process, a liquid brew is prepared tion time, the usual practice has been to separately add by mixing most or all of the water, a large portion of the these mold inhibitors to the dough sometime after a flour, all of the yeast and all the yeast food. A major large portion of the fermentation or cell development portion of the fermentation takes place in the brew. 65 has taken place. Quite unexpectedly, it has been found The brew is then transferred to a second mixer wherein that, when these mold inhibitors are incorporated into it is mixed with other bread making ingredients, includ the adjuvant of the invention in the total quantity re ing fat, sugar, salt, and the remainder of the flour. The quired to provide long term mold inhibition, the benefi 3,900,570 3 4 cial accelerated fermentation rate provided by the ad nate, sodium propionate and mixtures thereof can be juvant is increased even further in most cases. included in the adjuvant of the invention. At present, The powdered portion of the adjuvant is intermixed calcium propionate is the most preferred mold inhibi with the emulsifying agent so there is little or no dusting tor. Instead of reducing the rate of fermentation as storage during handling and incorporation of the adju would be expected, it has been found that the inclusion vant into the dough. Thus, all the dough forming addi of such a mold inhibitor in the adjuvant of the invention tives to be added to the basic bread ingredients can be premixed in the appropriate proportions for the partic further increases the rate of fermentation in some ular dough unit being made and added as a single CaSCS. charge to the process in a single step.