Apparatus and method of making pizza

• US 20070160715A1
• Filed: 01/06/2006
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pizza Hut Incorporated (Yum! Brands Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pizza Hut Incorporated (Yum! Brands Incorporated)
• Inventors: Craig, Todd, Adelmann, Chris, Graham, Peter, Elnakib, Ossama
• Application Number:
  US11/327,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20070160715A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/94
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 11/02 Embossing machines
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 11/12 Apparatus for slotting, slitting or perforating the surface of pieces of dough
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 9/04 Apparatus for spreading granular material on, or sweeping or coating the surfaces of, pieces or sheets of dough coating baked articles A21C15/002
• CPC Class Codes: A21D 13/41 Pizzas

Abstract

A pizza includes a substantially flattened dough member and a plurality of self-contained topping portions. The dough member defines a top surface and the plurality of self-contained topping portions are maintained on the top surface of the dough member. In particular, each of the plurality of self-contained topping portions includes a topping selection and is surrounded by an exposed portion of the top surface of the dough member. Furthermore, the top surface of the dough member is imprinted with a first pattern extending between each of the plurality of self-contained topping portions and a second pattern extending about the plurality of self-contained topping portions.

Claims

1. A pizza making system comprising:

a crimper defining a patterned bottom surface adapted to imprint patterns in a flattened dough member; and

a perforator including a plurality of projections adapted to form perforations in the dough member;

wherein the crimper and the perforator are separate items adapted to be assembled together in a substantially complementary fit to define a single unit such that the patterned bottom surface of the crimper and the plurality of projections of the perforator are positioned and configured to perform a single crimping and perforating operation on the dough member.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the crimper defines a center, the crimper comprising:

a border press extending about the center of the crimper, the border press including a patterned bottom surface for imprinting an outer pattern in the dough member; and

a center press including a plurality of spokes extending outwardly from the center of the crimper to the border press, each of the plurality of spokes including a patterned bottom surface for imprinting an inner pattern in the dough member.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the patterned bottom surfaces of each of the plurality of spokes define a pattern including a series of interconnected diamond shapes.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the patterned bottom surface of the border press defines a pattern including a substantially continuous and jagged line.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the perforator comprises:

a plurality of perforating sections having projections; and

a plurality of channels substantially free of projections, the plurality of channels separating each of the plurality of perforating sections from an adjacent perforating section;

wherein each of the plurality of spokes of the crimper is receivable in one of the plurality of channels of the perforator when the perforator and the crimper are assembled together.

6. The system of claim 2 further comprising:

a topping guide defining a center and comprising;

a border cover extending about the center of the topping guide and defining an interior, the border cover including a top wall adapted to shield portions of the dough imprinted with the outer pattern; and

a central cover including a plurality of cross members spanning the interior of the border cover, each of the plurality of cross members defining a top wall adapted to shield portions of the dough imprinted with the inner pattern;

wherein the border cover and the central cover together define a plurality openings in the topping guide, each opening separated from an adjacent opening by one of the plurality of cross members of the central cover.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the patterned bottom surfaces of the border press and the center press define four non-patterned quadrants.

8. A method of making a pizza comprising:

assembling a patterning article to a docker to form a single unit, the docker including a plurality of projections and the patterning article including a patterned bottom surface;

imprinting a common crust with an inner pattern at an inner portion of the crust and an outer pattern at an outer portion of the crust using the patterning article such that the common crust defines a plurality of topping support sections bounded by the inner and outer patterns;

perforating the common crust with the docker to form a plurality of perforations in each of the plurality of topping support sections.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the patterning article defines a center and includes a border portion and a plurality of spokes radiating outwardly from the center to the border portion, wherein the docker defines a center and includes a plurality of perforation sections, each of the plurality of perforation sections separated by a plurality of recessed areas radiating outwardly from the center of the docker, and further wherein assembling the patterning article to the docker includes disposing the plurality of spokes of the patterning article in the plurality of recessed areas of the docker to define a substantially complementary fit.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein imprinting the common crust and perforating the common crust are performed substantially continuously as a single operation.

11. A method of making a pizza comprising:

forming a crust defining a top face;

aligning a cover to the crust, the cover including a border extending about a center of the cover and a plurality of cross members each connected to the border and spanning an interior of the cover, the outer cover and the plurality of cross members together defining a plurality of openings through the cover;

covering a portion of the crust with the cover such that the top face of the crust is masked by the inner and outer portions of the cover and a plurality of topping support sections associated with the crust are exposed through the plurality of openings in the cover; and

disposing a topping selection onto each of the plurality of topping support sections through the plurality of openings in the cover to form a plurality of individualized topping sections on the crust.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

patterning the common crust with an inner pattern and an outer pattern, the inner and outer patterns together bounding the plurality of topping support sections of the crust;

wherein aligning the cover to the crust includes aligning the plurality of cross members to the inner pattern and aligning the outer cover to the outer pattern.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

baking the crust and the topping selections disposed on each of the plurality of topping support sections.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

separating the crust along the inner pattern of the crust extending between the plurality of individualized topping sections.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

imprinting a plurality of perforation marks into each of the plurality of topping support sections of the crust.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of perforation marks and the inner and outer patterns are imprinted substantially simultaneously into the crust.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the outer pattern extends about the plurality of individualized topping sections and the inner pattern extends between adjacent ones of the plurality of individualized topping sections.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the inner pattern comprises a plurality of interconnected diamond shapes and the outer pattern comprises a serrated line.

19. A pizza comprising:

a substantially flattened dough member defining a top surface;

a plurality of self-contained topping portions maintained on the top surface of the dough member, each of the plurality of self-contained topping portions including a topping selection and being surrounded by an exposed portion of the top surface of the dough member;

wherein the exposed portion of the top surface of the dough member is imprinted with a first pattern extending between each of the plurality of self-contained topping portions and a second pattern extending about the plurality of self-contained topping portions.

20. The pizza of claim 19, wherein the dough member defines an inner portion and an outer portion, and further wherein the first pattern includes a series of diamond shapes connected point-to-point across the inner portion of the dough member and the second pattern includes a jagged line extending about the outer portion of the dough member.