General Mills, Inc.

Todd A Rasmussen

Bruce D Larson

Ralph A Stenvik

Zachary Harder

Steven J Cox

Kara M Hobart

Michele K Wolf

Roberta M Langenfeld

Jeremy B Thompson

Shannyn Stuart

Karla M Fuentes

Lisa Swanson

John J Fenske

Michael E Snyder

Wenyi Wang

James T Buccellato

Benjamin R Heyda

Paul Henderson

Kristi L Bahe

Olivia Murch

Chad Arnall

Rodney W Worthy

James D Bosin

Jean A Linforth

Lindsey Golinski

Jose Daniel Estrada Andino

Frozen un-proofed dough pieces are produced by cutting a dough sheet into strips and producing a score through an upper skin of each strip with at least one blunt deformation tool prior to freezing. The un-proofed dough pieces are formed by mass production, with an un-proofed dough sheet being cut to form dough strips which are then cut into the un-proofed dough pieces, with the score for each un-proofed dough piece being formed by pressing the upper skin of the dough down into the body of the dough, thereby deforming and pre-stressing the dough to create weak zones, either before, during or after the individual un-proofed dough pieces are actually created, but before freezing. Upon heating, openings are established in the upper skin along score lines.

Apparatus and method for producing scored dough pieces

Cutter roller

Frozen un-proofed dough pieces are produced by pinching an upper skin of an un-proofed dough body to a lower skin and producing a score through the upper skin prior to freezing. The un-proofed dough pieces are formed by mass production, with an un-proofed dough sheet being cut to form dough strips which are then cut into the un-proofed dough pieces, with the score for each un-proofed dough piece being formed either before, during or after the individual un-proofed dough pieces are actually created, but before freezing.

A waffle sandwich maker includes first and second waffle plates which contact a food product during preparation of the food product. The first waffle plate includes a plurality of protrusions defining a plurality of channels, a female connector having a hole, a male connector having a protrusion and a first spacer extending inward relative to the plurality of protrusions. The pluralities of protrusions and channels create depressions and ridges in the food product. The protrusion of the male connector and the hole of the female connector of the first waffle plate mate with a hole of a female connector and a protrusion of a male connector of the second waffle plate. The first spacer contacts the second waffle plate during preparation of the food product, which includes an outer dough encapsulating a filling, to maintain the first waffle plate spaced at least approximately 0.5 inches from the second waffle plate.

Waffle sandwich maker and method of preparing a food product with the waffle sandwich maker

Waffle plate

Embossed bread product

Filled dough product

Baking pan shield

Growing community of inventors

North Branch, MN, United States of America

Todd A Rasmussen