Baking & Snack - March 2019 - 68

SHEETING, LAMINATING

tiple sheeting stations to gently reduce the dough sheet
to the required thickness.
As a general rule, cross rollers increase the dough
sheet width, and stretchers reduce the dough sheet thickness, according to Mr. Giacoio. "With a lamination line,
it is important not to crush the delicate layers of dough
and fat," he pointed out. "The least amount of stress to
the dough will result in a better-quality product."
Rheon relies on a stretcher that pulls the dough with
minimal pressure to keep the layers intact. Mr. Giacoio
said its typical stretcher ranges from 4- to 6-ft long to allow the dough sheet to be reduced slowly without damaging the layers. "The key is to be sure the final product
does not shrink more in one direction than it does in
another," he advised. "If this happens, it means you are
adding too much stress to the dough in that direction."

When to fold it
When laminating, bakers can select from tons of options
that will directly influence the design of the line. Often
the type of fat plays a determining role. "Butter needs intermediate resting time during laminating where margarine products can be laminated - up to a certain number of layers - without any resting time in between,"
Mr. Sonnabend observed.
Product variety also influences the design of the
makeup line. Danish pastries or croissants have 16 to 32
fat layers where puff pastries require 64 or more. "The
number of layers affects the number of folding stations,"
Mr. Sonnabend said. "Continuous laminating lines for
Danish pastries and croissants are normally equipped
with two folding stations. Lines for puff pastries typically
have three."
But when should lamination involve folding vs. cut-

ting the sheet and stacking it? "On AMF Tromp lines,
we tend to always fold the dough on the first laminating
station while the fat and the dough are still thicker and
not as pliable," Mr. Adams explained. "The choice of cutand-stack method is most of the time determined at the
final folding and ensures adequate fat distribution."
During the initial lamination, continuous folding allows bakers to apply a rather thick sheet of butter while
avoiding the risk that the fat will leak out of the dough
and create a mess on the entire line. Bakers then can
choose between folding or stacking when laminating a
second or third time. "The advantage of cut-and-stack
is that you take eventual tension out of the sheet while
achieving a more equal spread of the butter sheet and
a straighter dough sheet," Mr. van Houwelingen said.
"The disadvantage is that it requires more space and a
higher investment."
Mr. Moline pointed out that folding - also called lapping - is almost always employed when using margarine or other shortenings. "This ensures the shortening
stays contained in the dough sheet," he said. "Cut-sheet
laminators are highly beneficial for high-fat doughs like
pie crust that are not extensible like a yeast dough where
folding/lapping would result in tearing."
For high-capacity systems that require wide conveyors, he added, Moline laminators allow for adjustable
stroke length while fully supporting the dough sheet
to eliminate excess stretching due to gravity. Moreover,
its in-line systems accommodate facilities where a
90-degree transfer isn't possible.

A well-deserved time out
To ensure product consistency, bakeries need to set their
temperature-controlled makeup departments at about

Technology transforms to adapt to trends
Despite the versatility of sheeting
and laminating technology, ongoing new product development from
savory croissants to pop-and-go
pastries often demands an enlightened approach to engineering and
configuring a production line.
"As you can imagine, customers
are always trying to innovate, and
this usually means new forming
and shaping challenges," observed
John Giacoio, vice-president of
sales, Rheon USA. "This is okay
because it keeps us sharp and
68 Baking & Snack March 2019 / www.bakingandsnack.com

inspires us to innovate ourselves.
Customers really appreciate it
when you can show them a new
product idea that they can build
on."
From a processing standpoint,
bakers must determine a myriad
of variables, including the required
capacity that dictates the efficient
use of a dough sheet's width, noted
Stefan Praller, head of marketing
for Fritsch. Moreover, he said, they
should define the products' weight
and shape tolerance as well as de-

lineate quality based on the number
of layers for flakiness and texture.
Even the number of layers and
amount of coiling may determine
the overall length of operation.
For croissants, Fritsch employs a
makeup line that turns the triangles
in one single process step with a capacity of up to 150 strokes per minute. For pastries, Mr. Praller said, the
makeup section - including folding,
coiling, filling, decorating and cutting
- varies depending on the products'
desired characteristics.

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Baking & Snack - March 2019

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