Process and apparatus for producing bakery products in the form of half-shells
View Patent ↗In a process for producing half-shells ( 2 ) which are made from a dough for bakery products and are characterized by an annular orifice rim ( 6 ) with a finished surface, by producing a wafer sheet ( 1 ) comprising a plurality of half-shells ( 2 ) connected to one another by an interconnecting wall ( 4 ), by forming and baking said dough in a mold with the use of a mold formed by two complementary plates ( 12, 14 ) having respective front surfaces which, as a result of the fitting together of the two plates, can define a forming cavity having a shape generally corresponding to that of said wafer sheet ( 1 ), a mold is used wherein the front forming surface of at least one of said plates has shaped portions ( 26 ) which project towards the front surface of the other plate ( 12 ) and which can define, in the dough that is subjected to baking in the forming cavity, a notch ( 24 ) in the interconnecting wall ( 4 ) adjacent each half-shell ( 2 ), wherein the plates can be fitted together in an initial position in which the forming cavity has a volume smaller than the volume of the wafer sheet to be obtained, the dough is subjected to a first, partial baking step in the forming cavity with the molds fitted together in the initial position, while the volume of the forming cavity is kept constant until the dough is partially solidified, the dough is then subjected to finishing baking with an increase in the volume of the forming cavity, in order to obtain a wafer sheet ( 1 ) wherein the half-shells ( 2 ) are connected to the interconnecting wall ( 4 ) by an annular region ( 28 ) having a thickness which is substantially less than the thickness of the interconnecting wall ( 4 ); the half-shells can thus be separated from the wafer sheet by a slight pressure exerted in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the wafer sheet.
1. A process for producing half-shells from a wafer sheet comprising a plurality of half-shells connected to one another by an interconnecting wall, said half-shells are made from a dough for bakery products and are characterised by an annular orifice rim with a finished surface, the process comprising the steps of:
placing said dough in a mould formed by two complementary plates having respective front forming surfaces which, as a result of a fitting together of the two plates, define a volume for a forming cavity, said forming cavity having a shape generally corresponding to that of said wafer sheet, wherein, in said mould
the front forming surface of at least one of said plates has shaped portions which project towards the front surface of the other plate and which define, in the dough that is subjected to baking in said forming cavity, a notch in said interconnecting wall adjacent each half-shell,
subjecting said dough to baking in said forming cavity, with said moulding plates fitted together, whilst keeping the volume of said forming cavity constant to produce said wafer sheet comprising the plurality of half shells connected to one another by said interconnecting wall, and
separating the half-shells from the interconnecting wall.
2. A process according to claim 1 , characterised in that it comprises the steps of:
subjecting said dough to a first partial baking step in said forming cavity, with said moulding plates fitted together in a first position, wherein said forming cavity has a volume reduced with respect to the volume of the wafer sheet to be obtained, whilst keeping the volume of said forming cavity constant until the dough is partially solidified,
then subjecting said dough to finishing baking with an increase in the volume of the said forming cavity, to obtain a wafer sheet wherein said half-shells are connected to said interconnecting wall by an annular region having a thickness which is substantially reduced with respect to the thickness of said interconnecting wall.
3. A process according to claim 2 , characterised in that the plates of said mould are capable of relative translation in a direction orthogonal to the general plane of their front surfaces from an initial position to a final position wherein said forming cavity has a volume substantially corresponding to the volume of the final wafer sheet to be obtained, and wherein said translation from the initial position to the final position is allowed or actuated in the finishing baking step.
4. A process according to claim 2 , characterised in that said finishing baking step, with an increase in the volume of the forming cavity, is carried out when the dough is capable of further expansion during baking.
5. A process according to claim 2 , characterised in that said partial baking step, with constant volume, is carried out for a period of time of between 10 and 30% of the total dough baking time.
6. A process according to claim 1 , characterised in that said dough is a fluid wafer batter or a rolled sheet made from a bread-making dough.
7. A process according to claim 6 , wherein said wafer batter has a water content of from 100 to 180 parts by weight per 100 parts of flour.
8. A process according to claim 6 , characterised in that said bread-making dough comprises from 40 to 75 parts by weight of water per 100 parts of flour and further comprises natural yeasts.
9. A process according to claim 1 , characterised in that, in an initial position, said projecting shaped portions extend substantially flush with or in contact with the front surface of the other plate.
10. A process according to claim 1 , characterised in that said projecting shaped portions ( 26 ) are annular shaped portions having a V-shape or a tooth-like shaped cross-section.
11. A process according to claim 2 , characterised in that pressure means or fastening means are associated with said mould and keep said mould in an initial position in said first, partial baking step, said pressure means or fastening means being capable of being deactivated or disengaged, respectively, to allow the increase in the volume of said forming cavity in said finishing baking step, and wherein the weight of the plate which bears on the other plate is determined so that, after deactivation of said pressure means or after disengagement of said fastening means, translation of said half-mould, as the result of the expansion of the dough is allowed in said finishing baking step.
12. A process according to claim 1 , characterised in that said step of separating the half-shells from the interconnecting wall is carried out by means of a pressing action exerted on said interconnecting wall or on said half-shells in a direction orthogonal to the plane of said interconnecting wall.
13. A mould for producing a shaped wafer sheet which is made of dough for bakery products that is subjected to baking in said mould, and which comprises a plurality of half-shells connected to one another by an interconnecting wall, wherein said mould comprises two complementary plates with respective front surfaces which, as a result of the fitting together of said plates, define a forming cavity having a shape generally corresponding to that of said wafer sheet, characterised in that the front forming surface of at least one of said plates has shaped portions which project towards the front surface of the other plate and which define in the dough that is subjected to baking in said forming cavity a notch in said interconnecting wall adjacent each half-shell.
14. A mould according to claim 13 , characterised in that said plates are capable of translation relative to one another from an initial position wherein said plates define a forming cavity with reduced volume, to a final position wherein they define a forming cavity having a volume larger than the volume of said initial forming cavity.
15. A mould according to claim 14 , characterised in that it comprises fastening means for restraining said plates in said initial forming and baking position and actuator means, optionally associated with a control and drive unit, arranged to disengage said fastening means after a predetermined baking time.
16. A mould according to claim 14 , characterised in that it comprises pressure means for restraining said plates in said initial forming and baking position and actuator means, optionally associated with a control and drive unit, and arranged to deactivate said pressure means, so as to allow translation of said plates relative to one another, after a predetermined baking time.
17. A mould according to claim 14 , characterised in that said projecting shaped portions are annular shaped portions formed in the female plate and having a V-shaped or tooth-like cross-section, wherein the two plates can be fitted together with said shaped portions projecting to as to lie flush with or in contact with the front surface of the other plate, and wherein said mould optionally comprises resilient pressure means suitable for opposing relative translation of said plates.