Patent ID: 8622730

Claim:
An apparatus for shaping and cutting a dough sheet into a plurality of spherical boule-shaped dough products comprising: a conveyor upon which a dough sheet travels; a rotatable drum mounted for rotation above the conveyor; a plurality of cutter molds disposed about the rotatable drum, each of the cutter molds including a peripheral edge portion, a dough engaging portion extending from the peripheral edge portion and having one of an arcuate shape and a sloping, tapered configuration, and a curved, annular side wall extending from the dough engaging portion and defining a concave, bowl-shaped internal dough receiving cavity having a base portion, with the peripheral edge portion establishing a cutting edge for each cutter mold wherein the cutting edge includes a front portion, a rear portion and opposing side portions, with the peripheral edge portion, the dough engaging portion, and the annular side wall, in combination, being configured to form a spherically shaped dough product and each of the opposing side portions including a curvature which is convex in shape; and a sleeve supporting the plurality of cutter molds, said sleeve extending about and being secured to the rotatable drum, while the curvature of each of the opposing side portions mimics a side curvature of the sleeve wherein, when the dough sheet travels in the dough travel path and the drum is rotated, dough is forced into the internal, dough receiving cavities of the cutter molds and shaped by the cutter molds, while the cutting edges of the cutter molds engage the dough sheet, severing the dough sheet into the plurality of spherical boule-shaped dough products having flat bottom portions and rounded, ball-shaped main body portions.