Cracker finishing machine
AssigneeMary's Gone Crackers, Inc.
InventorDale Rodrigues
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Non-traditional dough, such as gluten-free, vegan dough, is processed to make high quality baked products in an industrial process. In the case of cracker production, a cracker finishing machine (100) is provided between a dough depositing machine and an oven to prepare the dough for baking. The dough is flattened to a substantially uniform thickness and moistened by the finishing machine (100). Baking trays (300) with deposited cracker dough are loaded onto a pedestal (120) and pressed against a platen (130) to provide the desired flattening. At the same time, a blotting belt (150) misted with cooking oil is interposed between the platen (130) and the dough for moisturizing.
Claims10
A finishing machine for use in manufacturing a baked product using a non-traditional dough, said non-traditional dough being at least one of gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy free, egg-free, vegetarian, or vegan dough, comprising:
- an intake for receiving a baking tray having a plurality of portions of non-traditional dough deposited thereon;
- a press comprising a movable pedestal and an immovable platen, wherein the movable pedestal is displaceable with respect to the immovable platen by a pressing station through lifting the baking tray by the pressing station to compress the portions of non-traditional dough to shape the portions of non-traditional dough into a predetermined product shape;
- a moisturizing system for applying a predetermined amount of cooking oil to the portions of non-traditional dough, wherein the moisturizing system includes a blotting belt having cooking oil applied thereto by an oil supplying station and positioned between the immovable platen and the baking tray, wherein the blotting belt wraps around a top and a bottom of the immovable platen in a form of a continuous loop to form a blotting surface between the immovable platen and the deposited non-traditional dough portions and advances at fixed intervals such that the portions of non-traditional dough contact the blotting surface of the blotting belt when compressed against the immovable platen to reduce adhesion between the portions of non-traditional dough and the immovable platen and apply the cooking oil to the portions of non-traditional dough;
- a belt conveyor system configure to transport the baking tray to the press and to carry the baking tray away from the finishing machine when the cracker is finished;
- and
- a discharge for expelling the baking tray having the portions of non-traditional dough in the predetermined product shape thereon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.