Abstract: A dough forming machine having a stationary frame with a flat top surface, a continuous belt wrapped around said flat plate having a drive drum at one end and a idler drum at a respective other end, the drive drum being driven for rotation by a motor, and a forming tube above said plate and receiving a section of the belt through the tube to curl the belt into a cylindrical shape. An arcuate plastic pressure plate upstream of said forming tube is elevated a distance from a surface of the continuous belt for receiving dough pieces between the arcuate pressure plate and the continuous belt for forming the dough pieces into a circular shape in the forming tube around a mandrel extending within the tube. At an output end of the forming tube is arranged a rotating table for receiving formed dough pieces, the rotating table driven by a drive belt which receives power from the motor. The rotating table is advantageously foldable downwardly during non-use.

Abstract: Applicants have devised a new and improved method of making bialys that reduces the cost of production by eliminating the relatively expensive step of shaping each piece of dough manually and also insures greater uniformity in the shape of the bialys. After each piece of dough is relaxed by first proofing, it is positioned under a heated die that is shaped to press the dough into a form which becomes the basis of the bialy shape, with a flat, relatively dense center portion completely surrounded by a softer outer rim portion. The heat and pressure applied to the flat center portion of the bialy kills all the yeast cells in that portion of the bialy, while permitting yeast growth to continue within the outer rim portion. The density of the flat center portion becomes sufficient to prevent the outer rim from shrinking back on to the center, as the outer rim expands due to the induced growth from the yeast.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing dough is provided for automatically processing a large mass of dough into a plurality of smaller, shaped dough pieces. A dough divider is used to receive the large mass of dough and to divide the large mass into smaller dough pieces. A dough rounder is used to receive the smaller dough pieces, round the pieces into dough balls and eject the dough balls serially from a discharge outlet thereof. A first conveyor is provided to receive the ejected dough balls from the discharge outlet and to deposit the dough balls in a predetermined spacing on a second conveyor. The second conveyor intermittently carries the dough balls along a length of the second conveyor. A prepressing device is arranged with a portion for engaging the dough balls being carried on the second conveyor when the second conveyor is stopped, so as to deform the dough balls into thick dough disks.

Abstract: A device for feeding dough is provided which has a hopper for receiving dough and directing the dough downwardly to a housing which contains a first rotatable member for engaging and urging the dough downwardly toward a pair of opposed second rotatable members. The second rotatable members have a gap therebetween to receive the dough therethrough and they rotate in opposite directions to urge the dough downwardly therebetween. Both the first and second rotatable members have a surface configuration which enhances engagement between the rollers and the dough. An orifice is provided in the housing below the second rotatable members for receiving the dough from the second rotatable rollers. The dough thus leaves the housing in the form of a continuous cylinder having a diameter of the same size as the orifice.