Pizza crust and process and apparatus for making same

Abstract

Apparatus for preparing parbaked food products, such as pizza crust shells, and dough formulation used therein, and the product produced thereby and/or therefrom. The apparatus operates on a starting material dough including flour, sugar and water, and preferably also a leavening agent such as instant yeast. The dough is rounded, first proofed, panned, pressed and second proofed in the apparatus. The prepared dough piece is then steam hydrated in the apparatus under conditions sufficient to cause moisture absorption and a resultant increase in moisture content throughout the dough. Then the hydrated dough piece is immediately sequentially parbaked until gelatinization of the starch is complete. At least one parbaking condition of the apparatus is adjusted as selected from the group consisting of initial dough temperature, oven temperature, parbaking time, dough absorption and dough thickness and coordinated with the moisture content condition of the dough upon completion of the steam hydration for thereby delaying external browning of the dough until the starch gelatinization is complete, and for thereby discontinuing the parbaking before substantial caramelization of the sugar in the crust takes place.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.