A method of making a soft pretzel bite includes cutting a series of transverse slots on one lateral side of a dough strip, curling the transverse slotted dough strip into a respective rolled dough strip, exposing each transverse slot, and transversely cutting each rolled dough strip into dough bites. The method includes washing each dough bite in a caustic solution with the length of each transverse slot being sufficient for excess caustic solution to drain way from the dough bite. The dough bite is baked into a pretzel bite. Each transverse slot allows a volume of the pretzel bite to increase without being constrained by a pretzel skin formed around each transverse slot to aerate an interior of each pretzel bite.

The present invention relates to a system for providing a dough sheet, comprising a mixer for mixing ingredients to a dough, a portioning device for portioning the dough in batches into carriers, a first fermenting stage, formed by a cabinet, the cabinet comprising a conveyor, configured for conveying the carriers along a trajectory through the cabinet, a first handler for placing the carriers in a fermenting cabinet, a second fermenting stage, formed by a conveyor, a second handler, for picking the carriers from the cabinet and placing the dough batches from the carriers onto the fermenting conveyor, wherein the second handler is configured for placing the dough batches in a touching or overlapping manner and a dough sheeting stage, for receiving the dough from the second fermenting stage and forming a sheet from the dough.

The present invention relates to a system for providing a dough sheet, comprising a mixer for mixing ingredients to a dough, a portioning device for portioning the dough in batches into carriers, a first fermenting stage, formed by a cabinet, the cabinet comprising a conveyor, configured for conveying the carriers along a trajectory through the cabinet, a first handler for placing the carriers in a fermenting cabinet, a second fermenting stage, formed by a conveyor, a second handler, for picking the carriers from the cabinet and placing the dough batches from the carriers onto the fermenting conveyor, wherein the second handler is configured for placing the dough batches in a touching or overlapping manner and a dough sheeting stage, for receiving the dough from the second fermenting stage and forming a sheet from the dough.

A method of manufacture of a bread, the bread comprising a pocket and having at least one open edge, the method comprising: preparing a dough; working the dough into a sheet including dusting a surface of the sheet of dough with additional flour; proofing the sheet of dough in a proofing room having a pre-determined humidity level, such that a moisture content of the additional surface flour is increased; cutting the proofed sheet of dough into a plurality of substantially tessellating shaped portions; baking each portion to form a bread, such that steam is generated during baking and forms a pocket in the bread; and cutting each bread into at least two parts, each part forming a pocket bread having at least one open edge, the open edge providing access to the pocket, wherein a secondary opening process is not required to provide access to the pocket.

A method of manufacture of a bread, the bread comprising a pocket and having at least one open edge, the method comprising: preparing a dough; working the dough into a sheet including dusting a surface of the sheet of dough with additional flour; proofing the sheet of dough in a proofing room having a pre-determined humidity level, such that a moisture content of the additional surface flour is increased; cutting the proofed sheet of dough into a plurality of substantially tessellating shaped portions; baking each portion to form a bread, such that steam is generated during baking and forms a pocket in the bread; and cutting each bread into at least two parts, each part forming a pocket bread having at least one open edge, the open edge providing access to the pocket, wherein a secondary opening process is not required to provide access to the pocket.

A device for spreading a runny batter on a hotplate for manufacturing pancakes or crêpes, including a rotary shaft intended to be disposed almost perpendicular with respect to the cooking face of the hotplate, a plate fixed to said rotary shaft, said plate carrying a spreading and raking means, and at least one abutment designed to bear, run or slide on the heating face of the hotplate. The spreading and raking includes at least one rake, the working free edge of which is rectilinear, making it possible to spread a portion of batter previously deposited on the heating face of said hotplate and rake the thickness of batter as long as it remains liquid so as to redeposit a layer of material upstream in order to layer the batter and fill in the holes, reproducing the action of a person skilled in the art of making pancakes or crêpes.

A distribution assembly for product delivers and deposits a precise quantity of product on a support. The assembly includes a cylinder, a piston, displaced in the cylinder by an actuator, a route for taking in the product, an ejection head with a slide valve movable between a first closed position and a second open position, and an outlet nozzle, a preparation chamber, a transfer passage, connecting, selectively the preparation chamber with the outlet nozzle. When the cylinder comes towards the support, the physical contact with the support moves the slide valve from the first position to the second position and triggers delivery of the product, pushed by the piston, via the transfer passage. When the piston arrives at the forward end of range, the piston moves the slide valve from the second to the first position, closing the passage for the product via the transfer passage.

The invention relates to a device for portioning a dough mass, comprising a receiving chamber for holding said dough mass comprising a discharge opening, a pair of opposing rotary cutters provided at the discharge opening and arranged for rotation in mutually opposite directions, wherein each cutter comprises at least one blade rotatable around a rotary axis, which blade cooperates with the blade of the other cutter for cutting the dough mass into separate portions, and a release agent delivery system for applying a release agent onto the blades of the rotary cutters, wherein the release agent delivery system is configured for applying the release agent on opposing sides of each of the blades. The invention further relates to a release agent delivery system for use in such a device and a method for portioning a dough mass using such a device.

A dough dividing system includes a hopper for receiving dough constituent including a hopper inlet and a hopper outlet, a divider assembly including a divider block including a divider block cavity, and a first actuator, and a receptacle including a receptacle inlet. The first actuator moves the divider block to align the divider block cavity with the hopper outlet, the dough constituent enters the divider block cavity when the divider block cavity is aligned with the hopper outlet, the divider block moves to shear a dough form from the dough constituent, and the divider block moves the dough form over the receptacle inlet such that the dough form can empty from the divider block cavity.

A dough dividing system includes a hopper for receiving dough constituent including a hopper inlet and a hopper outlet, a divider assembly including a divider block including a divider block cavity, and a first actuator, and a receptacle including a receptacle inlet. The first actuator moves the divider block to align the divider block cavity with the hopper outlet, the dough constituent enters the divider block cavity when the divider block cavity is aligned with the hopper outlet, the divider block moves to shear a dough form from the dough constituent, and the divider block moves the dough form over the receptacle inlet such that the dough form can empty from the divider block cavity.