Process for producing bakery product having layered structure

A process for producing a bakery product having a layered structure, wherein a roll-in fat which has a good spreadability at a temperature of 10.degree. C. or above and rapidly hardens at a temperature lower than 10.degree. C. in used and the rolling-in operation is effected at a temperature of the fat of 10.degree. C. or above while the final sheeting is effected at a dough temperature lower than 10.degree. C.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a process for producing a bakery product having a 
layered structure, such as Danish pastry, croissant or pie. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Bakery products having a layered structure containing a roll-in fat may be 
broadly classified into those produced by using yeast, such as Danish 
pastry and croissant, and those produced without using yeast, such as pie. 
Each of these bakery products may be produced by sheeting and folding a 
dough, which has been prepared by kneading a mixture comprising, for 
example, wheat flour, salt, sugar and water, together with a plastic fat 
such as butter or margarine several times, allowing the layered dough thus 
obtained for an appropriate retarding time, then subjecting it to the 
final sheeting, stamping out a suitable shape from the dough, molding it 
into a desired shape, effecting the final proofing, which is unnecessary 
in the case of a pie, and then baking. 
There has been attempted, in the main, to develop a fat which is highly 
spreadable over a wide temperature range and has a high consistency, in 
order to form excellent flaky layers in the inner phase of the final 
bakery product produced by the aforesaid process. This is because the fat 
to be rolled in the dough should have a high spreadability suited to the 
dough. When the fat to be rolled in the dough is excessively hard, not 
only the obtained final product has a poor flavor, but also the fat cannot 
be distributed into the whole dough and any homogeneous product cannot be 
obtained from the non-uniform dough thus formed. When the fat is 
excessively soft, on the contrary, it would lose the shape retentiveness 
during the roll-in procedure. Thus it would run or be incorporated in the 
dough, which makes the processability poor. As a result, the final product 
has scarcely any flaky layer. In order to prevent these phenomena, it is a 
common practice to refrigerate the fat one or several times during the 
roll-in process so as to prevent the softening of the fat and to restore 
the working properties of the wheat flour dough, thus adjusting the 
spreadability of the dough and that of the fat. Therefore it has been 
required to develop a fat, which has a good spreadability within a low 
temperature range, to be used in the aforesaid process for producing 
bakery products. Thus it has been proposed to add a thickener to the 
aqueous phase of an water-in-oil emulsion fat (refer to Japanese Patent 
Laid-Open No. 11141/1984), to blend glyceryl monoacetate with the aqueous 
phase of a water-in-oil emulsion fat (refer to Japanese Patent Publication 
No. 35739/1987) and to restrict the fatty acid composition of a fat (refer 
to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 22133/1985) to thereby improve the 
spreadability of a fat. 
Recently, however, consumers have a marked trend toward fat-free foods for 
the reason of health and thus the consumption of fat-rich products such as 
Danish pastry, croissant or pie has been stagnant. When it is attempted to 
produce a low-fat product (i.e., one containing less roll-in fat), the 
roll-in fat is incorporated into the dough layer 2, due to the good 
spreadability of the fat, during the roll-in or final sheeting operation, 
so that the fat layer 1 becomes very thin or disappears (refer to FIG. 2). 
As a result, the final product has no layered structure but an inner phase 
of a so-called bread-like (sponge) texture just like that of a butter 
roll, which deteriorates the texture and voluminousness of the product. 
In order to prevent these phenomena, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 
202245/1989 proposes the use of a fat which has a high protein 
concentration and is in the form of a stable oil-in-water emulsion. 
However this method has some disadvantages, for example, the oil-in-water 
fat results in poor keeping qualities and it is necessary to add a sizing 
agent to the aqueous phase, which makes the texture poor. 
A conventional bakery product rich in a roll-in fat has a layered structure 
consisting of a fat layer 1 and a dough layer 2, as shown in FIG. 3. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present inventors have conducted intensive studies in order to solve 
the aforesaid problems. As a result, they have found out that a bakery 
product, which has a layered structure and is excellent in flakiness, 
voluminousness and texture even at a low fat concentration, can be 
obtained by using a roll-in fat, which hardens within a low temperature 
range and is not spread, contrary to conventional ones, and effecting the 
final sheeting after sufficiently lowering the temperature. 
Accordingly, the present invention, which has been completed based on the 
above finding, provides a process for producing a bakery product having a 
layered structure which comprises using a roll-in fat which shows a good 
spreadability at a temperature of 10.degree. C. or above and rapidly 
hardens at a temperature lower than 10.degree. C., effecting the 
rolling-in at the temperature of said fat of 10.degree. C. or above, and 
effecting the final sheeting at a dough temperature of lower than 
10.degree. C. 
According to the process for producing a bakery product of the present 
invention, the roll-in fat layer having an appropriate hardness would 
break into pieces while substantially maintaining its thickness during the 
final sheeting operation. As a result, the roll-in fat is not incorporated 
into the wheat flour dough layer but maintained in a state as if flaky 
roll-in fat pieces were embedded in the wheat flour dough layer. 
Thus a bakery product having a layered structure (for example Danish 
pastry, Croissant or pie), which has a highly flaky inner phase and is 
excellent in texture and meltability in the mouth even at a low 
concentration of the roll-in fat, can be obtained.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The dough to be used in the present invention is not particularly 
restricted. Thus known ones for bakery products may be employed therefore. 
The ratio of the roll-in fat to the dough may range from 10 to 50% by 
weight, preferably from 20 to 25% by weight. When the amount of the 
roll-in fat is excessively small, the obtained bakery product cannot from 
any definite layer. When the amount thereof is excessively large, on the 
other hand, the inner phase membrane becomes excessively thick and a large 
amount of the fat melts in the baking stage, which makes the final product 
greasy. 
In the present invention, procedures till the rolling-in operation may be 
performed in accordance with a common process for producing bakery 
products. 
It is an important feature of the present invention to use a roll-in fat 
which has a high spreadability at a temperature of 10.degree. C. or above 
and rapidly hardens at a temperature lower than 10.degree. C. It has been 
believed in the art that a roll-in fat suffering little change in the 
solid fat content even with a temperature change is preferable since it 
scarcely hardens at an elevated temperature during the rolling-in 
operation. In the present invention, on the contrary, a roll-in fat 
undergoing a large change in the solid fat content is employed. 
Namely, the roll-in fat to be used in the present invention has a low solid 
fat content in the rolling-in operation and is highly spreadable. In the 
final sheeting stage, however, it has a high solid fat content and is in a 
hardened state. It is particularly preferable to use a roll-in fat having 
a solid fat content of from 20 to 40 at 15.degree. C., from 30 to 50 at 
10.degree. C. and 35 or above at 5.degree. C. 
When the solid fat content of the roll-in fat at 15.degree. C. is smaller 
than 20, the roll-in fat excessively softens in the rolling-in operation. 
As a result, the roll-in fat is sometimes incorporated in the dough or 
runs. When the solid fat content thereof at 15.degree. C. exceeds 40, on 
the other hand, it cannot be homogeneously distributed in the whole dough 
and thus the obtained dough becomes heterogeneous. 
When the solid fat content of the roll-in fat at 5.degree. C. is smaller 
than 35, the fat cannot break into pieces but is spread in the sheeting 
operation, thus being easily incorporated in the dough. As a result, the 
final product often has an inner phase of a bread-like texture. 
The roll-in fat to be used in the present invention is not particularly 
restricted and may be selected from among, for example, butter, margarine, 
shortening and lard. 
In the present invention, the temperature of the fat in the rolling-in 
operation may be 10.degree. C. or above, preferably range from 10.degree. 
to 20.degree. C. When the temperature is excessively low, the dough is 
spreadable but the fat is non-spreadable. In this case, the fat cannot be 
homogeneously distributed, which brings about some undesirable results, 
for example, the formation of a non-layered part of the inner phase of the 
final product. When the temperature is excessively high, the fat melts 
during the operation and thus is incorporated in the dough. In this case, 
definite layers can be hardly formed. 
In the present invention, the folding number (i.e., the number of layers) 
may preferably range from 8 to 36 in the case of Danish pastry dr 
croissant or from 27 to 256 in the case of pie. 
When the folding number is excessively small, the obtained bakery product 
has a rough layered structure consisting of easily peelable layers. Thus 
only a poor product can be produced in this case. When it is excessively 
large, on the other hand, fat layers are incorporated into the dough 
layers during the production process. As a result, no layered structure is 
formed and the obtained product has only a poor crispness. In the case of, 
for example, Danish pastry or croissant, it is the most desirable that 20% 
by weight, based on the dough, of a roll-in fat is used and the folding 
number is adjusted to 12 to 24 as a standard. Then the folding nubmer is 
increased with an increase in the fat content, while the former is 
decreased with a decrease in the latter. 
When the content of the roll-in fat is increased without changing the 
folding number, the fat layers would break into larger pieces in the final 
sheeting operation. As a result, the inner phase of the final product 
becomes rough and voids are apt to be formed. When the content of the 
roll-in fat is decreased without changing the folding number, on the other 
hand, the fat layers are incorporated into the dough layers during the 
rolling-in and final sheeting operations. In this case, it is sometimes 
observed that the inner phase of the obtained final product has a 
bread-like texture. 
After the completion of the rolling-in, the dough is refrigerated in a 
refrigerator until the temperature at the center of the dough is lowered 
below 10.degree. C., preferably from -10.degree. to 10.degree. C. When a 
freezer is to be used, it is recommended to achieve a uniform temperature 
distribution by transferring the dough to a refrigerator before the 
surface of the dough is frozen, since rapid cooling would cause a large 
difference in the temperature between the surface of the dough and the 
center thereof. When the dough is to be cooled in a refrigerator alone, it 
is preferable to keep the dough in the refrigerator overnight so as to 
establish a uniform temperature distribution. 
After taking out the dough, the center temperature of which is lower than 
10.degree. C., from the refrigerator, it is preferable to immediately 
effect the final sheeting. It may be sheeted until the thickness reaches 3 
to 8 mm with the use of, for example, a reverse sheeter. As shown in FIG. 
1, the roll-in fat layers break into pieces while maintaining a given 
thickness. As a result, the sheeted dough is in a state as if flaky 
roll-in fat pieces were embedded in the wheat flour dough layer. Thus a 
bakery product having excellent flakiness, wherein the fat is not 
incorporated into the dough and thus the fat layers do not disappear in 
spite of the low content of the roll-in fat, can be obtained. 
When the final sheeting is effected at a temperature of 10.degree. C. 
above, the fat is not broken but is thinly spread and incorporated into 
the dough layers. As a result, the obtained final product has a bread-like 
texture. In this case, therefore, any bakery product having an excellent 
flakiness, i.e., the object of the present invention, cannot be obtained. 
After the completion of the final sheeting, the subsequent procedures 
(i.e., molding, final proofing and baking) may be performed in accordance 
with a conventional method for producing bakery products. 
To further illustrate the present invention, the following Example and 
Comparative Examples will be given. 
EXAMPLE 1 
Croissants were produced by using each roll-in margarine having the solid 
fat content of the fat phase as specified in the following table. The 
formulation and production process are as follows. 
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Temperature (.degree.C.) 
0 5 10 15 20 
Solid fat content of 
49 42 35 27 22 
fat phase 
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[Formulation of croissant] 
hard wheat flour 100 parts by weight 
sugar 8 parts by weight 
skim milk 4 parts by weight 
activated gluten 2 parts by weight 
salt 1.5 parts by weight 
yeast 6 parts by weight 
water 58 parts by weight 
fat for bakery 5 parts by weight 
roll-in margarine 46 parts by weight 
(25% based on dough) 
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Production process 
(1) Mixing: 3 minutes at low speed, 3 minutes at medium speed. 
Adding fat for bakery. 
3 minutes at low speed, 3 minutes at 
medium speed, 3 minutes at high speed. 
(2) Dough temperature: 14.degree. C. 
(3) Retarding 1: In refrigerator (0.degree. C.) for 100 minutes. (covered 
with a vinyl sheet to thereby prevent the surface from drying.) 
(4) Rolling-in: Temperature of roll-in fat: 12.degree. C. 
Folding in 3 layers, folding in 2 layers and folding in 3 layers. 
Temperature of the obtained layered dough: 15.degree. C. 
(5) Retarding 2: Cooling in freezer (-20.degree. C.) until the center 
temperature reaches 5.degree. C. Retarding in refrigerator (0.degree. C.) 
overnight. 
Dough temperature immediately before final sheeting: 2.degree. C. 
(6) Sheeting/molding: Sheeting the dough till a thickness of 6 mm. 
Cutting into triangular pieces (130 mm in base, 190 mm in height) and 
molding into croissant-shape. 
(7) Final proofing: 31.degree. C., 85% RH, 120 minutes. 
(8) Baking: 180.degree. C., 23 minutes. 
COMATIVE EXAMPLE 1 
Croissants were produced by using each roll-in margarine having a solid fat 
content of the fat phase as specified in the following table (i.e., a 
roll-in fat which had a poor spreadability at a temperature of 10.degree. 
C. or above and would not rapidly harden at a temperature lower than 
10.degree. C.). The same formulation and production process as those 
described in the Example 1 were employed. 
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Temperature (.degree.C.) 
0 5 10 15 20 
Solid fat content of 
55 51 47 43 32 
fat phase 
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COMATIVE EXAMPLE 2 
Croissants were produced by using each roll-in margarine having a solid fat 
content of the fat phase as specified in the following table (i.e., a 
roll-in fat which had a good spreadability at a temperature of 10.degree. 
C. or above but would not rapidly harden at a temperature lower than 
10.degree. C.). The same formulation and production process as those 
described in the Example 1 were employed. 
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Temperature (.degree.C.) 
0 5 10 15 20 
Solid fat content of 
36 32 26 22 15 
fat phase 
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COMATIVE EXAMPLE 3 
Croissants were produced by the same method as the one described in the 
Example 1 except that the temperature of the roll-in fat was adjusted to 
0.degree. C. 
COMATIVE EXAMPLE 4 
Croissants were produced by the same method as the one described in the 
Example 1 except that the temperature of the dough in the final sheeting 
operation was adjusted to 12.degree. C. (the dough was cooled in a 
refrigerator at 0.degree. C. for 1 hour in the step of retardation 2 and 
the temperature of the layered dough was adjusted to 12.degree. C. 
immediately before the final sheeting). 
Tables 1 and 2 show the results of the evaluation of the croissants 
produced in the above Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 and 
properties thereof observed during the production processes. 
TABLE 1 
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Spreadability at rolling-in 
Compatibility of 
Spreadability in molding 
Dough Fat dough and fat 
Dough 
Fat 
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Ex. 1 
good 
good .circleincircle. 
good 
less spreadable, 
cracking. 
Comp. 
good 
less spreadable, 
X good 
less spreadable, 
Ex. 1 nonuniform. cracking. 
Comp. 
good 
good .circleincircle. 
good 
incorporated 
Ex. 2 into the dough. 
Comp. 
some- 
less spreadable, 
X good 
less spreadable, 
Ex. 3 
what 
nonuniform. cracking. 
good 
Comp. 
good 
good .circleincircle. 
good 
Somewhat incorporated 
Ex. 4 into the dough. 
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TABLE 2 
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Evaluation of baked croissants 
Specific 
volume Form Inner phase 
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Ex. 1 6.2 good highly flaky. 
Comp. 4.5 part of the sur- 
some showing good flakiness 
Ex. 1 face is smooth 
and some showing poor 
flakiness are mixed together. 
Comp. 5.4 good bread-like texture. 
Ex. 2 
Comp. 6.0 part of the sur- 
some showing good flakiness 
Ex. 3 face is smooth 
and some showing poor 
flakiness are mixed together. 
Comp. 6.2 good bread-like texture. 
Ex. 4 
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