JP7578432B2 - Baked goods and their manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to baked confectionery and a method for producing the same.

Baked goods such as cookies, biscuits, and crackers are preferred to have a light, crispy texture and melt in the mouth. Patent Document 1 describes that confectionery grain pulverization containing a specific amount of durum semolina with a particle size of 350 μm or more allows the production of chewy and flavorful confectionery. Patent Document 2 describes that bakery topping dough made from raw grain flour containing specific amounts of durum wheat flour, which has a smaller particle size than semolina, and soft flour, maintains a good texture. Patent Document 3 describes that biscuits that combine machine suitability with a crispy texture in the flour batter method can be produced by using raw wheat flour with gluten vitality adjusted to 75-90% using roasted wheat flour.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-187216 JP 2015-084692 A JP 2017-169467 A

There is a demand for baked goods such as cookies and biscuits that have a light texture, melt easily in the mouth, and can maintain that good texture and melt-in-the-mouth feel even over time.

The inventors have discovered that baked goods made using a dough containing a specific amount of one or more selected from the group consisting of dry-heat-treated crushed durum wheat flour and dry-heat-treated corn grits have a light texture, melt easily in the mouth, and can maintain these properties even after a period of time has passed after baking.

Therefore, the present invention provides a baked confectionery containing 10 to 90 mass% of one or more types selected from the group consisting of dry-heat-treated crushed durum wheat flour and dry-heat-treated corn grits, based on the total raw material flour.
The present invention also provides a method for producing baked goods, characterized in that a raw material flour contains 10 to 90 mass% of one or more types selected from the group consisting of dry-heat-treated crushed durum wheat flour and dry-heat-treated corn grits.

The baked confectionery of the present invention has a light texture and melts easily in the mouth, and can maintain its light texture and melt-in-the-mouth feel even after a long time has passed after baking.

The baked goods provided by the present invention include those that are preferred for their light and crispy texture, such as cookies, biscuits, crackers, and scones.

The raw material flour, which is the main ingredient of the baked confectionery of the present invention, contains one or more types selected from the group consisting of dry-heat-treated crushed durum wheat flour and dry-heat-treated corn grits.

The crushed durum wheat flour used as the raw material of the dry-heat-treated crushed durum wheat flour may be obtained by crushing durum wheat grains according to a general milling process. Generally, durum wheat grains are prepared into semolina by crushing, sieving, and purification (referred to as the breaking process, grading process, and purification process, respectively), and the semolina is further crushed by multiple smooth rolls (reduction process) and sieved to obtain finer flour. From the viewpoint of improving the texture and melt-in-the-mouth quality of baked goods, the crushed durum wheat flour preferably contains durum semolina, and more preferably is durum semolina. The durum semolina has an average particle size of preferably 180 μm to 700 μm, more preferably 200 μm to 600 μm, and even more preferably 200 μm to 500 μm. Preferably, the crushed durum wheat flour contains durum semolina with a particle size of 200 μm or more, preferably 10% or more, more preferably 30% or more, by volume.

The corn grits used as the raw material for the dry-heat-treated corn grits are coarsely ground products obtained by grinding the endosperm of corn. The type of corn used as the raw material for the corn grits is not particularly limited, but examples include dent corn, flint corn, sweet corn, soft corn, popcorn, waxy corn, and pod corn. From the viewpoint of improving the texture and melt-in-the-mouth feel of baked confectioneries, the average particle size of the corn grits is preferably 180 μm to 700 μm, more preferably 200 μm to 600 μm, and even more preferably 200 μm to 500 μm. The corn grits preferably contain corn grits with a particle size of 200 μm or more, preferably 10% or more, more preferably 30% or more, by volume.

The particle size of the crushed durum wheat flour and corn grits in this specification is a value measured using a Microtrack particle size analyzer. From the measured particle size distribution, the average particle size and the detection frequency of the particle size can be calculated. Particle size measurement and calculation of the average particle size and the detection frequency of the particle size can be performed using a commercially available analyzer (for example, the "Microtrack Particle Size Distribution Analyzer 9200FRA" manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.) according to the manual of the instrument.

The dry-heat-treated crushed durum wheat flour and corn grits used in the present invention are obtained by dry-heat-treating the crushed durum wheat flour and corn grits described above. The dry-heat treatment improves the texture and melt-in-the-mouth quality of the baked confectionery. Examples of the dry-heat treatment include oven heating (roasting), heating in a roasting kiln (roasting, etc.), heating using a dryer, hot air drying, and leaving in a high-temperature, low-humidity environment, among which roasting or roasting is preferred. Preferred dry-heat treatment methods include, for example, a method of heating the crushed durum wheat flour or corn grits for 20 to 30 minutes in a band oven while gradually increasing the temperature inside the oven from 180°C to 300°C, and a method of roasting the crushed durum wheat flour or corn grits for 20 to 30 minutes at a temperature of 180 to 300°C in a mixer equipped with a heating device such as a paddle dryer. Preferably, the dry-heat-treated crushed durum wheat flour and corn grits have a moisture content of 10% by mass or less.

The raw material flour of the baked confectionery of the present invention contains, in its total amount, preferably 10 to 90% by mass, more preferably 30 to 70% by mass, of one or more types selected from the group consisting of the dry-heat-treated crushed durum wheat flour and the dry-heat-treated corn grits. If the total content of the dry-heat-treated crushed durum wheat flour and the dry-heat-treated corn grits in the raw material flour is too high or too low, the texture and melt-in-the-mouth feel of the baked confectionery will not be sufficiently improved. Furthermore, if the total content of the dry-heat-treated crushed durum wheat flour and the dry-heat-treated corn grits in the raw material flour is low, the texture and melt-in-the-mouth feel of the baked confectionery will tend to deteriorate over time.

The raw flour may contain other flours than the dry-heat-treated crushed durum wheat flour and the dry-heat-treated corn grits. Examples of the other flours include flours commonly used as raw flours for bakery products, such as wheat flour (strong flour, semi-strong flour, medium-strength flour, whole wheat flour, crushed durum wheat flour that has not been dry-heat-treated, etc.), rye flour, rice flour, corn flour (corn flour, corn meal, corn grits that have not been dry-heat-treated, etc.), and mixtures thereof, but are not limited thereto. Preferably, the other flours are wheat flour, and more preferably weak flour. The wheat flour and weak flour may be heat-treated flours, but this is not necessary. The content of the other flours in the raw flour is preferably 10 to 90% by mass, and more preferably 30 to 70% by mass.

The baked confectionery of the present invention can be produced by a conventionally known method as long as the raw material flour of the specific composition described above is used. In addition to the raw material flour, the baked confectionery of the present invention may contain other materials such as sugars, starches, oils and fats, eggs, water or milk, leavening agents, yeast, coloring agents, and flavorings as necessary. Examples of sugars include white sugar, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, glucose, fructose, sucrose, and maltose, and these can be used alone or in combination. Examples of starches include corn starch, potato starch, rice starch, tapioca starch, wheat starch, and the like, as well as modified starches thereof, and these can be used alone or in combination. Examples of oils and fats include butter, margarine, shortening, and lard, and these can be used alone or in combination. Examples of eggs include whole eggs, liquid eggs, egg yolks, and egg whites, and these can be used alone or in combination. Examples of milk include cow's milk, soy milk, and powdered milk, and these can be used alone or in combination.

The amount of raw flour and other ingredients in the baked confectionery can be adjusted as appropriate depending on the type of baked confectionery to be produced and the desired texture. For example, if the baked confectionery is a cookie or biscuit, the amount of raw flour in the total amount of dough before baking is preferably 8 to 80% by mass, more preferably 20 to 60% by mass.

The dough for baked goods can be prepared by mixing the above raw grain flour and other ingredients in a conventional manner. The dough for baked goods may contain fillings such as dried fruit and chocolate chips. Alternatively, the surface of the dough for baked goods can be topped with granulated sugar, chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, etc. before baking, or icing such as powdered sugar, chocolate, fondant, etc. can be added after baking.

Typical methods for producing baked goods include a method in which fats and sugars are mixed uniformly, followed by eggs and raw grain flour in that order to prepare the dough (sugar batter method), or a method in which raw grain flour and fats are thoroughly stirred, and then sugars and eggs are added and mixed to prepare the dough (flour batter method). However, the method for producing the baked goods of the present invention is not limited to these. Preferably, the dough for the baked goods of the present invention is produced by the sugar batter method. Preferably, the dough for the baked goods of the present invention is produced without yeast fermentation. The obtained dough is then baked in an oven or the like to produce the baked goods of the present invention. The baking temperature and time can be set appropriately depending on the type of baked goods, etc.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

(Raw materials)
Weak flour (average particle size 55 μm)
Durum semolina (average particle size 250 μm, passing through a sieve with a mesh opening of 700 μm, and containing a fraction with a particle size of 200 μm or more at 50% by volume)
Durum wheat flour (average particle size 80 μm, passed through a sieve with a mesh opening of 200 μm)
Corn grits (mean particle size 250 μm, passing through a sieve with a mesh opening of 700 μm, and containing a fraction with a particle size of 200 μm or more at 50% by volume)

(Preparation of dry heat treated powder)
The weak flour, durum semolina, durum wheat flour, and corn grits were each treated in a tunnel oven at an internal temperature of 180 to 300°C (which changed stepwise) for about 23 minutes to obtain roasted weak flour, roasted durum semolina, roasted durum wheat flour, and roasted corn grits (each having a moisture content of 10% by mass or less).

(Test Example 1)
Biscuits were produced using the ingredients shown in Table 1 and following the procedure below.
1) Soften the butter, then add the white sugar and salt and mix.
2) Add the whole eggs to 1) in several batches and mix.
3) The raw flour that has been sifted with baking powder is added to 2) and mixed lightly.
4) The dough was rolled out to a thickness of 5 mm and cut out using a die (circular, 5 cm diameter).
5) The cut out dough was baked at 180°C (top heat 180°C soft heat, bottom heat 170°C soft heat + one bottom baking sheet) for 15 minutes.

The produced biscuits were wrapped in plastic bags 40 minutes after baking and stored (humidity 75%). The texture and melting in the mouth of the biscuits stored for 24 hours and 7 days were evaluated by 10 trained panelists according to the following evaluation criteria, and the average scores were calculated. The results are shown in Table 1.
[Evaluation Criteria]
(Texture)
5 points: Very light texture 4 points: Light texture 3 points: Slightly light texture 2 points: Poor lightness of texture 1 point: Very poor lightness of texture (melt in the mouth)
5 points: Very good melt-in-the-mouth feel 4 points: Good melt-in-the-mouth feel 3 points: Fairly good melt-in-the-mouth feel 2 points: Fairly poor melt-in-the-mouth feel 1 point: Poor melt-in-the-mouth feel

(Test Example 2)
Biscuits were produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Production Example 2, except that the amount of roasted durum semolina in the raw material flour was changed as shown in Table 2. The results are shown in Table 2.

Claims (10)

This baked confectionery contains 30 to 70 % by mass of one or more types selected from the group consisting of dry-heat-treated crushed durum wheat flour and dry-heat-treated corn grits, based on the total raw material grain flour. The baked goods of claim 1, wherein the durum wheat flour crackers include durum semolina. The baked confectionery according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the raw flour further contains 30 to 70 mass % of wheat flour. The baked confectionery according to claim 3, wherein the wheat flour is soft flour. The baked confectionery according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the baked confectionery is a cookie or a biscuit. A method for producing baked goods, characterized in that a raw material flour containing 30 to 70 mass% of one or more types selected from the group consisting of dry-heat-treated crushed durum wheat flour and dry-heat-treated corn grits is used. The method of claim 6, wherein the durum wheat flour crackers include durum semolina. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the raw flour further contains 30 to 70 % by mass of wheat flour. The method according to claim 8, wherein the wheat flour is soft flour. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the baked good is a cookie or a biscuit.