Patent ID: 7758330

Claim:
An apparatus for forming a ready-to-bake, endless dough ring, comprising a round-kneading station ( 6 ); a fermenting station ( 13 a , 21 ; 13 a , 21 , 44 , 45 , 49 , 50 ); a pressure station ( 18 , 27 ) for flattening pressure being exerted on an upper side and a lower side of a dough piece to be formed; a punching station ( 32 ) for punching out a central portion of the dough piece; a displacement station ( 29 ) disposed on a way of conveyance upstream of the punching station ( 32 ) for reducing demands on the punching station ( 32 ), the displacement station ( 29 ) being embodied such that displacement of a central portion of the dough piece outwards takes place prior to punching such that a thickness of the dough piece is reduced as compared to a rest of the dough piece where subsequent punching takes place; a conveyor ( 7 , 9 , 15 , 17 , 24 , 26 ; 7 , 9 , 15 , 17 , 24 , 26 , 40 , 43 , 47 , 52 ) for dough pieces to be transferred between the round-kneading station ( 6 ), the fermenting station ( 13 a , 21 ; 13 a , 21 , 44 , 45 , 49 , 50 ), the pressure station ( 18 , 27 ), the displacement station ( 29 ) and the punching station ( 32 ), wherein the displacement station ( 29 ) comprises a stamp with a spherical end.