#f3ebf2

#d2c0ba

#760600

#930a02

Baked Bread

1. Reduce the ambient pressure of dough to below atmospheric pressure
2. Bake the dough while raising the pressure to atmospheric pressure

That's it. Seriously, nothing else! But what if I told you that reducing the pressure to 0.35 atmosphere cuts the time to raise the dough from 45 minutes to 1 minute.

#760600

#930a02

More Baked Bread

"An edible soluble alginate (e.g. sodium or ammonium alginate) mixed with the usual bread‐making ingredients."

Apparently, adding alginate makes the dough "noticeably tougher and less sticky", … thereby allowing more water to be added, … which, in turn: (i) produces a "more moist loaf", (ii) "increases bread yield"; (iii) evens "oven‐spring", (iv) improves texture, grain and palatability, and (v) reduces sogginess.

… which makes the whole World a happy place!

#760600

#930a02

Partially Sliced Bread

A loaf of bread including:

• two spaced apart slices, joined along an edge; and
• a removable intermediate slice separating the spaced slices.

#760600

#930a02

Sandwich

1. Make a sandwich comprising two slices of bread buttered on the outside, with layers of filler (e.g. meats and cheese) there between
2. Compress the sandwich in a metallic container (with a metallic cover), with the upper and lower surfaces of the sandwich in contact with the metallic container base and cover
3. Seal the cover to the container to prevent ingress of air
4. Flash freeze the container with sandwich
5. Heat the container with sandwich to thaw and cook the sandwich, grilling the outside of the sandwich against the metallic container base and cover
6. Open the container and remove the sandwich

Straight from the freezer to the oven and … Voila a grilled sandwich!

Compression of the bread against upper and lower metallic surfaces for grilling made this method patentable.

#760600

#930a02

McDonald's Sandwich

1. Heat bread
2. Simultaneously assemble garnish in a container
3. Place the heated bread over the garnish‐filled container
4. Invert the bread and container to deposit the garnish on the bread

Never considered myself cutting‐edge when emptying a can of Heinz beans on to toast for tea. But, starting to reconsider.

#760600

#930a02

Fried Sandwich

1. Surround meat with bread dough containing yeast
2. Float the sandwich in heated water to raise the dough (48C)
3. Deep fry the sandwich (190C)

#760600

#930a02

Bored Hot Dog Roll

"A hollow, elongated, cylindrical, self‐supporting roll open at one end, the wall of the roll being slotted."

The aim was to provide a closed end to contain melted butter or mustard and prevent dripping when eaten.

#760600

#930a02

Troughed Hot Dog Roll

"a longitudinal trough‐like cavity that extends along its length and is adapted to receive a sausage. The roll and cavity being formed independently of the sausage, and being sufficiently flexible to permit spreading of the roll to receive the sausage."

Success favours the diligent, and this inventor had clearly done his homework:

"I am aware of the fact that rolls have been made with sausages or frankfurters cooked therein, and I am also, of course, aware of the fact that rolls have been opened or cut to receive sausages in the formation of sandwiches, but it is the purpose of my invention to provide a roll which does not require any cutting or shaping and which of itself is so shaped as to receive a sausage and to properly hold the sausage with dressing or flavoring, so that the sandwich can be conveniently handled without soiling the hands or the clothing and will be neat and attractive in appearance and a great labor saving device."

#760600

#930a02

Melba Toast

1. Flatten and compact an untoasted bread
2. Toast one side of the bread by direct contact with a heated surface until brown
3. Toast the other side of the bread by direct contact with the heated surface until brown

The secret lies in: compacting the bread first; then toasting only one side at a time without applying pressure between the bread against the heated surface.

The purported "object of this invention" was to provide a Melba toast that "has an encircling crust around its entire periphery"! Yes, apparently that's what made it patentable.

#760600

#930a02

Battered Sandwich

1. Mix a batter to serve as a paste to seal two slices of bread together
2. Apply the batter to the periphery of an upper side of the lower bread slice
3. Add a filler (e.g. meet, salad) to the lower bread slice, between the batter
4. Place the upper slice of bread over the lower slice of bread to form a sandwich
5. Dip the sandwich in batter to seal the exposed bread pores
6. Deep fry the sandwich

The end result looks very appetising (especially if you add cheese), but is definitely not endorsed by the Heart Foundation.

#760600

#930a02

Deep Fried Sandwich

1. Roll dough into a thin layer
2. Enclose food filling with the dough
3. Skewer
4. Compact the dough against the skewer and food filling
5. Deep fry

Optionally: remove the skewer after frying and pour a sauce (e.g. ketchup) into the bore.

#760600

#930a02

Sandwich Loaf

"A baked loaf with:

• slices of food transversely embedded at regular intervals in the loaf; and
• external markings intermediate the slices, indicating where the loaf should be cut into sandwiches."

Cutting a loaf into sandwiches!

#760600

#930a02

Partially Baked Croissant

1. Prepare unbaked croissant
2. Heat until core temperature is 93‐99C and the croissant has puffed to the desired size
3. Freeze outer surface to below ‐4C within 2 minutes

Quick freezing prevents the croissant from collapsing, and is best done by spraying the croissant with liquid nitrogen.

#760600

#930a02

Garlic Bread

1. Mix a sourdough starter in warm water
2. Add flour
3. Mix and blend dehydrated garlic chips
4. Knead
5. Form into loaves
6. Pre‐warm and bake

Apparently, the "secret to preserving the intense garlic flavour" lies in adding the dehydrated garlic chips just before kneading and letting the vapour generated during baking "activate" the chips.

"Activation" of the garlic chips was merely a "theory":

"The theory of this action is that the dry, dehydrated garlic chips are activated by the moisture or steam created during the baking process so that activation is complete at the same time that the baking is completed, and the bread thus comes from the oven with full fresh garlic flavor, evenly distributed throughout the entire loaf; such bread can be sliced, toasted, buttered and served without any need for additional application of garlic."

But, it clearly got the patent examiner salivating. Sometimes all you need to get a patent is a theory.

#d9b97c

#930a02