Processes are provided for making a snack food in the form of a thin, crisp pretzel cracker having pretzel-like characteristics. The processes incorporate a sheeted dough process with pretzel cooking and baking. The processes include reducing dough thickness through multiple gauging stations to form a thin sheet of dough, which is cut into a desired shape, submerged in a bath of caustic soda such as sodium hydroxide and water, and baked to a crispy finish by way of a multi-phase baking process.

Processes are provided for making a snack food in the form of a thin, crisp pretzel cracker having pretzel-like characteristics. The processes incorporate a sheeted dough process with pretzel cooking and baking. The processes include reducing dough thickness through multiple gauging stations to form a thin sheet of dough, which is cut into a desired shape, submerged in a bath of caustic soda such as sodium hydroxide and water, and baked to a crispy finish by way of a multi-phase baking process.

The texture and flavor of bran and germ for the production of whole wheat flour and for the production of baked goods containing whole wheat flour is improved by treating bran and germ with water and an enzyme composition comprising xylanase, pentosanase, or mixtures thereof to hydrate the bran and germ and to enzymatically convert insoluble fiber of the bran and germ into soluble fiber and sugars. The enzymatic conversion is conducted so as to decrease the water holding capacity of the bran and germ and provides a bran and germ product having reduced grittiness and a reduced whole wheat flavor, while avoiding adverse effects on baking functionality. The enzymatic treatment with the xylanase and/or pentosanase may be initiated upon whole wheat berries or grains during tempering, or it may be initiated upon a separated bran and germ fraction obtained after grinding or milling of whole wheat berries or grains.

Preparation of a food product comprising a bakery portion and ingredients may include: a first step for preparing the ingredients, a second step for preparing dough, a third step for preparing dough pieces, a step for packaging, in which the dough pieces and the ingredients are assembled and disposed in an impermeable pouch which is vacuum sealed, a step for fermentation, a step for cooking, and a step for cooling.

Method for modifying a fermented food product by acoustically treating such product, or a precursor thereof, by exposing the same to sound. The acoustic sound may be either submerged or unsubmerged into the food product or beverage during fermentation. A fermented food product made using such a method.

A method of thermally inhibiting starch or flour is provided. The method involves thermally or non-thermally dehydrating a grain to anhydrous or substantially anhydrous, and then heat treating this dehydrated grain. The heat treated dehydrated grain is then milled, producing thermally inhibited flour and/or starch. Using this method, the shelf life of the resulting thermally inhibited whole grain flour is extended compared whole grain flours that are thermally inhibited after milling.

A gluten-free grain concentrate (GFGC) food product and stepwise process to prepare GFGC from the treatment of raw unground wheat germ, is provided resulting in a product having at least three active components including (a) 1% to 3% 2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-hydroquinone; (b) 2% to 4% monomethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone; and (c) 0.5% to 1.5% monomethoxy-1,4-hydroquinone; and at least one inactive component: 2,6 dimethyl benzoquinone.

A process of producing a frozen sheeted dough, which can be prepared without using stress-free sheeting process and transferred directly from the freezer to oven without a proofing step. The process comprises mixing the dough ingredients comprising yeast and chemical leavening agents; resting the dough to form air cell structure; subjecting the dough to high stress sheeting compressions and freezing the dough. The frozen dough can be directly transferred to an oven without a proofing step. The resulting baked product has desirable texture and taste.

Provided is a solid composition which is not too hard and excellent in edibility and to which a dry and good crispy texture and a favorable raw material-derived flavor are imparted regardless of a high content of insoluble dietary fiber. A solid composition includes a powder of an edible part and/or an insoluble dietary fiber localized site of one or more selected from the group consisting of dried vegetables, dried grains, dried pulses, and dried fruits is provided. The solid composition contains 3 mass % or more of protein. The solid composition contains 3 mass % or more of insoluble dietary fiber. The moisture content on wet basis is 11 mass % or less. The drying rate (105° C., 5 minutes) is 0.02 g/s.Math.m.sup.2 or more. A 50% integrated diameter of particles in an aqueous dispersion of the solid composition after ultrasonication is more than 5 μm and 600 μm or less.

Filled roll dough products, such as pizza rolls, are made with an outer dough shell with an internal filling material. Versus a conventional pizza roll, pizza rolls in accordance with the invention employs a filling material having a lower viscosity upon heating due to the removal of a majority of a viscosity altering additive (e.g., methyl cellulose) used in a conventional filling and an outer dough shell formed with spaced internal ridges which increase the structural integrity of the outer shell while not at all changing the external appearance. While removal of the viscosity altering additive from the filling material increases a blow-out rate for the product, the inclusion of the ridges decreases the blow-out rate to the extent that either a reduction or no significant change in product blow-rates is produced.