Baking & Snack - April 2004 - 74

PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY

the proofer while others may need as
much as six hours.

ᮡ This rack-style proof box can be custom built to meet
a bakery's specific size and configuration requirements.
This proofer accepts caster-mounted racks but can also
be designed for monorail systems.
THE FRED D. PFENING CO.

ᮤ The conditioning unit of this conveyorized proofer
features digital controls and uses a cold water spray mist
to provide 80% to 95% relative humidity.
BAKE TECH

cooled because pans returning to it
have not been cooled after leaving
the oven, adding to the heat load in
the room, he added.
Conditioning systems control heat
and humidity in the proof box, and
there is a demand for finer control
of these systems, he said. One way
this is accomplished is through
proportional valves on controllers.
"Temperature control is finer tuned
because the valve is open all the time
rather than being an on/off system,"
he said. "Because the valve is open,
it's always letting in a certain amount
of steam or chilled glycol, and this
helps maintain temperatures."
The way humidity is created in the
proof box has changed over the years.
At one time, it was common to find
boil-off systems in proof boxes, but
those caused many maintenance issues, noted the product line manager

74 / BAKING & SNACK / April 2004

for another manufacturer. In addition to fewer maintenance issues, new
mist systems save energy and allow
tighter control for humidity settings,
he said. New proofers employ an air
wash system that is able to mist water
immediately, and the number of humidifiers used depends on the size of
the proof box, he added.
Another supplier noted that the
easiest way to create humidity is
with steam. "However, if the proofer
is in a cooling mode, steam does
nothing but fight the cooling so then
you need to come up with alternate
methods," he said. "Typically the best
way to do that is with an atomized
water nozzle system."
In addition, bakers are looking
to age products differently, noted
the c.e.o. of another equipment
manufacturer. He added that today's
proofers are built with a lot more
flexibility. "Proofing environments
including proof time are required to
vary much more than ever before,"
he said, adding that some products
may require as little as 35 minutes in

WHAT THE L? Although it has yet
to catch on in the United States, an
L-type, or overhead, proofer is doing
quite well in Europe, according to
the US-based sales manager for the
manufacturer. He said he believes it
will eventually have a future in this
country. And if your bakery is running out of floor space, this proofer
could meet your needs.
Conveyorized proofers are basically
the same size as tunnel ovens in length
and width, requiring a great deal of
floor space, he noted. Therefore, the
equipment manufacturer designed a
proofer that mounts above the oven,
so as not to take up extra floor space.
"The pans, complete with dough
pieces, travel through the proofer's
well-balanced atmosphere on swing
trays so each product piece sees
the same conditions throughout
its proof time," said the company's
engineering manager. "The trays are
loaded and unloaded at the lower
level, so inclining and declining conveyors are not necessary. Loading of
proofed pieces and transitioning of
pans from proofer to oven is accomplished very smoothly."
Walk-in access enhances sanitation
and maintenance of the proofer, which
features a high-performance gas or
steam heater/air-conditioning system.
Bakers also have the option of single-,
double- or triple-level swing trays.
RETARD AND PROOF. Another
trend noted by several manufacturers is to combine rack-style retarders
and proofers. Retarding is an integral
step in sweet dough and puff pastry
production. A retarder is a refrigerated box in which doughs with high
levels of shortening are allowed to rest
to achieve optimum machining properties. It also can be used to reduce
the rate of fermentation in yeasted
doughs so they remain stable for
longer periods of time. Retarders generally have a relative humidity similar
Baking & Snack - April 2004

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - April 2004
