Scored pretzel bite apparatus and method
AssigneeDitsch USA, LLC
InventorsGary Gottenbusch, Donald Kross
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
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.
Claims6
A method of making a soft pretzel bite, the method comprising:
- conveying one or more dough strips;
- cutting a series of transverse slots on one lateral side of each one of the one or more dough strips, each transverse slot terminating a proximal distance to the one lateral side and spaced so that at least one transverse slot is received in each eventual pretzel bite and extending beyond a midpoint of the respective dough strip;
- curling each one of the one or more transverse slotted dough strips into a respective rolled dough strip, exposing each transverse slot across the rolled dough strip;
- transversely cutting each rolled dough strip into dough bites;
- washing each dough bite in a caustic solution;
- and
- baking the dough bite into a pretzel bite, wherein 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.
An apparatus for preparing a baked, soft pretzel bite food product comprising:
- one or more conveyors for conveying one or more dough sheets;
- one or more disc cutters that separate and trim the dough sheet into parallel dough strips;
- one or more wheel cutters for cutting a series of transverse slots on one lateral side of each one of the one or more dough strips, each transverse slot terminating a proximal distance to the one lateral side and spaced so that at least one transverse slot is received in each eventual pretzel bite and extending beyond a midpoint of the respective dough strip;
- one or more cone rollers for rolling each one of the one or more transverse slotted dough strips into a respective rolled dough strip, exposing each transverse slot across the rolled dough strip;
- one or more lateral cutting guillotines for transversely cutting each rolled dough strip into dough bites;
- a caustic bath for washing each dough bite in a caustic solution;
- and
- an oven for baking the dough bite into a pretzel bite, wherein 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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.