FROZEN DOUGH PRODUCT AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME
A proofed frozen dough includes a dough mixture of flour, water, and optionally additives; gas bubbles dispersed throughout the dough matrix; a spent yeast component; and a preserved yeast component. According to some aspects, the preserved yeast component includes encapsulated yeast, fat-coated yeast, non-hydrated active dry yeast, non-hydrated instant yeast, non-hydrated semi-dry yeast, non-hydrated frozen yeast, or a combination thereof. A frozen dough product can be prepared by mixing dough ingredients to produce a dough composition, where the dough ingredients include water, flour, a first yeast, and a second yeast; proofing the dough, where during proofing the first yeast is spent and the second yeast is preserved; and freezing the dough after proofing.
1 . A proofed frozen dough consisting of:
(a) a dough mixture of flour, water, and optionally additives selected from the group consisting of salt, leaveners, flavorants, sweeteners, preservatives, dough conditioners, and combinations thereof, the dough mixture defining a dough matrix;
(b) gas bubbles dispersed throughout the dough matrix;
(c) a spent yeast component; and
(d) a preserved yeast component.
2 . The proofed frozen dough of claim 1 , wherein the spent yeast component comprises yeast selected from cream yeast, compressed yeast, semi-dry yeast, frozen yeast, active dry yeast, instant yeast, or a combination thereof.
3 . The proofed frozen dough of claim 1 , wherein the preserved yeast component comprises encapsulated yeast, fat-coated yeast, non-hydrated active dry yeast, non-hydrated instant yeast, non-hydrated semi-dry yeast, non-hydrated frozen yeast, or a combination thereof.
4 . The proofed frozen dough of claim 1 , wherein the proofed frozen dough comprises about 1 wt. % to about 8 wt. % of the spent yeast component.
5 . The proofed frozen dough of claim 1 , wherein the spent yeast component has a yeast vitality of less than 25% of its initial vitality.
6 . The proofed frozen dough of claim 1 , wherein the preserved yeast component has a yeast vitality of at least 50% of its initial vitality.
7 . The proofed frozen dough of claim 1 , wherein the proofed frozen dough comprises about 0.1 to about 2 wt. % of the preserved yeast component.
8 . The proofed frozen dough of claim 1 , wherein the proofed frozen dough has a volume, and wherein the gas bubbles make up about 30 to about 90% of the volume of the frozen dough.
9 . The proofed frozen dough of claim 1 , wherein the proofed frozen dough has a density of about 0.2 to about 0.5 g/cm3.
10 . The proofed frozen dough of claim 1 , wherein the preserved yeast component comprises 80-90% yeast.
11 . A method for making a frozen dough product, the method comprising:
(a) mixing dough ingredients to produce a dough composition, the dough ingredients consisting of:
i. water;
ii. flour;
iii. a first yeast;
iv. a second yeast; and
v. optionally one or more components selected from the group consisting of salt, leaveners, flavorants, sweeteners, preservatives, dough conditioners, and combinations thereof;
(b) proofing the dough, wherein during proofing the first yeast is spent and the second yeast is preserved; and
(c) freezing the dough after proofing.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein at least 60% of the first yeast is spent during proofing.
13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein at least 50% of the second yeast is preserved during proofing.
14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the dough ingredients comprise about 1% to about 8% of the first yeast.
15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the dough ingredients comprise about 0.1% to about 2% of the second yeast.
16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the second yeast is different from the first yeast.
17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the second yeast comprises encapsulated yeast, fat coated yeast, non-hydrated active dry yeast, non-hydrated instant yeast, non-hydrated semi-dry yeast, non-hydrated frozen yeast, or a combination thereof.
18 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the mixing comprises mixing the water, flour, and first yeast for a first period of time, adding the second yeast and mixing the dough ingredients for a second period of time, wherein the first period of time is longer than the second period of time.
19 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising compressing the dough during or after proofing but before freezing.
20 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
shaping and cutting the dough to produce a pizza crust prior to proofing;
freezing the pizza crust; and
applying toppings to the frozen pizza crust.