Food products, apparatus, systems and methods in which a pocketed bun is produced by supplying compressed air into a portion of bread dough to produce an air pocket, cooking the portion to produce an at least partially cooked bun, and cutting the bun into at least two pieces, with each piece having a cavity. Air can be delivered directly inside the portion of bread dough through a tube or to an expandable object (e.g., a balloon). Preferably, the portion of bread dough is placed into an expandable mold controlled by at least an arm operated by a processor. Batches of pocketed buns can be produced by utilizing a device having multiple molds inside a chamber, and multiple stacked chambers or a shelf with multiple floors.

A baking oven for producing baked, preferably edible products, includes at least one upper heating apparatus configured as a radiant heating apparatus and at least one lower heating apparatus configured as a radiant heating apparatus in each of which a fuel mixture containing primary air and a fuel is burnt. The upper heating apparatus is disposed in an upper baking area and above an upper transport level and is directed onto a back surface of an upper plate configuration for heating a baking mould from above. The lower heating apparatus is disposed in a lower baking area between the upper transport level and a lower transport level and is directed onto the back surface of a lower plate configuration for heating the baking mould from above.

A system for forming and baking dough has a pallet with a female mold and a ram separate from the pallet. A ribbon of unbaked dough is located between the pallet and the ram. The ram has a male mold that is actuated to contact and stretch the dough into the female mold when the male mold engages with the female mold. A portion of the dough is separated from the ribbon and remains with the pallet as it is baked. An optional weight is mated to the pallet to maintain the position of the stretched dough with the female mold during the baking process.

A baking apparatus produces endless strips of preferably liquid baking compounds on a baking surface carrier circulating in a machine frame, being heated at least in sections and transporting at least one endless baking surface through at least one baking zone disposed in a stationary manner in the machine frame. The baking zone contains a heating apparatus and extends from a baking compound application device as far as a strip removal apparatus. A rotatably mounted and driven hubless drum is provided as the circulating heated baking surface carrier. A follower roller is disposed pivotably about a steering axle and rolls on a rolling surface of the drum in a contact region. A tracking distance is provided between a point of intersection of the steering axle with the rolling surface and the contact region.

A baking apparatus produces endless strips of preferably liquid baking compounds on a baking surface carrier circulating in a machine frame, being heated at least in sections and transporting at least one endless baking surface through at least one baking zone disposed in a stationary manner in the machine frame. The baking zone contains a heating apparatus and extends from a baking compound application device as far as a strip removal apparatus. A rotatably mounted and driven hubless drum is provided as the circulating heated baking surface carrier. A follower roller is disposed pivotably about a steering axle and rolls on a rolling surface of the drum in a contact region. A tracking distance is provided between a point of intersection of the steering axle with the rolling surface and the contact region.

A system for cooking and forming an edible food container includes include a bottom housing and a top housing. The bottom housing comprises a press receiver defining at least one press receptacle and the top housing comprises a press defining at least one press protrusion. The system further includes a heating element incorporated into at least one of the top housing and the bottom housing. The system also includes a frame, with the top housing being moveable relative to the bottom housing via engagement with the frame.

In a method of baking both sides of ingredients between upper and lower dies with upper and lower electric heaters respectively, a temperature of one of the lower and upper dies is detected. Based on temperature information detected thereby, consumed power of the other of the lower and upper dies is controlled, thereby making a temperature of the lower die closer to that of the upper die, thereby baking both sides of the ingredients.

A baking apparatus (1) for producing baked edible products, including a frame (21), a housing (20), a baking chamber (2), and a baking tong chain (3) with baking tongs (8) and rollers (9). The rollers roll on at least one longitudinal strut (10) that supports and/or guides the baking tong chain. A cooling duct (11) through which cooling air flows cools the longitudinal strut. The cooling duct (11) opens in the region of the rear deflection point (6) through at least one convection opening (12) into the baking chamber. A convection fan (25) generates a convection flow in the baking chamber and conveys the cooling air through the cooling duct (11) so that the cooling air flows through the convection opening from the cooling duct to produce an artificial convection, horizontally through the baking chamber.

An automated system and method for manufacturing a cone-shaped food product holder requires the coordinated use of a forming unit, a conveyor unit and a control unit. In their combination, the forming unit rotates a conically-shaped bake form at a constant angular velocity . Simultaneously, the conveyor unit advances a bread dough strip on a conveyor belt at a constant linear velocity v, for deposit of the bread dough strip onto the bake form. In order to account for the conical configuration of the bake form, the actions of the forming unit and the conveyor unit are coordinated by the control unit. Specifically, the control unit moves the conveyor unit with a predetermined rotation relative to the forming unit to form the food product holder on the forming unit for subsequent baking.

A baking device (1) for producing baked products has a baking device frame (2) with a baking device housing (3) and a baking chamber (4), a baking tong chain (5) with baking tong carriages (6) which have baking tongs (21) that can be opened and closed. Rollers (7) are connected to the carriages (6) and/or to the chain (5) in such a way as to be able to rotate about a roller rotation axis (8), and roll on at least one vertical guide rail (9) in order to support and vertically guide the baking tong carriages (6). At least one lateral guide roller (10) is connected to a carriage (6) and/or to the chain (5) so as to be able to rotate about a lateral guide roller rotation axis (11). The lateral guide roller (10) rolls on at least one lateral guide strip (12) of the baking device (1) to laterally guide the carriage (6), and wherein the direction of the lateral guide roller rotation axis (11) is at an angle to the direction of the roller rotation axis (8).