Step 1: Mixing with Egg Beater (Dough Mixing Stage)
Detailed Process
1、Raw Material Preparation
Weigh low-gluten flour (60%-70%), high-gluten flour (to enhance gluten, 10%-15%), chilled butter (20-22℃, 15%-20%), ice water (to control dough temperature, 20%-25%), salt (0.5%-1%), and a small amount of sugar (to adjust flavor) according to the recipe. Sift the flour to remove impurities, and cut the butter into 1cm cubes.
2、Mixing and Kneading
Pour flour, salt, and sugar into the mixing bowl of the vertical dough mixer. Start mixing at low speed (100-150r/min) for 1-2 minutes to evenly blend the dry ingredients. Add the butter cubes and continue mixing at low speed for 3-4 minutes until the butter and flour form a granular mixture (similar to coarse cornmeal, avoiding butter melting). Slowly add ice water, switch to medium speed (200-250r/min), and knead for 5-7 minutes until a continuous gluten network forms in the dough (it can be stretched into a thin, elastic film, known as the "development stage").
3、Dough Handling
After mixing, the dough temperature must be controlled at 22-24℃ (exceeding 26℃ will cause butter to melt, affecting lamination). Remove the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (to relax the gluten for easier subsequent processing).
Involved Equipment
Vertical Dough Mixer
Core components:
◉ Vertical mixing bowl (capacity 50-500L, stainless steel, with an inclined bottom for easy material removal);
◉Helical mixing paddle (simulates manual kneading to promote gluten formation, with adjustable paddle spacing);
◉ Speed control system (0-300r/min stepless speed change to meet different mixing stages);
Features: Vertical structure saves space, with high mixing efficiency (processing 20-100kg of flour per batch), suitable for tart crust dough that requires precise control of gluten and temperature.
Step 2: Pressing into Whole Dough Blocks with a Hydraulic Dough Divider
Detailed Process
1、Dough Division
Remove the chilled dough, unwrap it, and place it into the feed hopper of the hydraulic dough divider. Set the division weight (usually 500-1000g per block, adjusted according to the capacity of the subsequent lamination machine). Start the equipment, and the dough is pushed into the quantitative cutting device via hydraulic push rods.
2、Pressing into Blocks
After cutting, the dough falls into the forming cavity. The hydraulic system applies 10-15MPa pressure to press the loose dough into uniform rectangular blocks (2-3cm thick) with dimensions matching the lamination machine's feed inlet (e.g., 30cm×20cm). This process expels air bubbles inside the dough, making it compact (to avoid uneven layering during lamination).
3、Discharging and Sorting
The pressed dough blocks are conveyed to the next process via a conveyor belt. Manually check for cracks (repress if cracked) to ensure a smooth, bubble-free surface.
Involved Equipment
Hydraulic Dough Divider
Core components:
◉Feed hopper (with a screw conveyor to prevent dough blockage);
◉Quantitative cutting blade (stainless steel, replaceable to adjust division weight);
◉Hydraulic system (composed of an oil pump and cylinder, with adjustable pressure to ensure uniform block density);
◉Forming cavity (smooth inner wall to reduce dough adhesion, customizable size).
Features: High division precision (tolerance ≤2g), with a pressing efficiency of 30-50 blocks/minute. It quickly converts large dough into standardized processing units, laying the foundation for the lamination process.
Step 3: Pressing to Desired Pastry Thickness with a Full-Automatic Lamination Machine
Detailed Process
1、Lamination Preparation
Start the rotary oven, set the baking temperature (usually 190-200℃ in the front section, 160-170℃ in the rear section), and preheat for 10-15 minutes until the temperature is stable (temperature difference in the oven ≤5℃).
2、Butter Enclosing and Folding
Lay the sheet butter centrally on the base pastry, wrap the butter completely with the pastry (seal the edges to prevent butter leakage), and feed it into the lamination machine. Set the roller spacing to 3cm, and press to 3cm thickness (first calendering). Fold the pastry lengthwise (forming two layers), rotate 90°, and calender again to 3cm (second calendering). Repeat folding-calendering 3-4 times (chilling for 10 minutes after each calendering to stabilize temperature), ultimately forming a puff pastry structure with 100-120 layers.
3、Thickness Setting and Calendering
Set the target thickness according to tart specifications (usually 2-3mm). Start the lamination machine for continuous calendering (gradually reducing roller spacing by 0.5mm each time) until the pastry reaches uniform thickness without layer separation or cracking, then convey it to the cutting process via a conveyor belt.
Involved Equipment
Full-Automatic Lamination Machine
Core components:
◉ Multiple sets of pressure rollers (15-20cm diameter, chrome-plated for rust resistance, electrically adjustable spacing with ±0.1mm precision);
◉ Folding mechanism (automatically folds and rotates the pastry to reduce manual operation);
◉Temperature control system (cooling function for the feed table and rollers to maintain pastry temperature ≤22℃);
◉Tension adjustment device (prevents excessive stretching of the pastry, which causes layer separation).
Features: High automation, processing 50-100m of pastry per hour, with precise control of layers and thickness. It is key to ensuring the crispy texture of tart crusts.
Step 4: Mixing with an Egg Beater (Batter Preparation Stage)
Detailed Process
1、Mold Debugging
According to the size of tart cups (usually 7-8cm in top diameter), replace the continuous cutting machine's hexagonal molds (distance between opposite sides 8-9cm, reserving space for baking expansion) and adjust mold spacing (1-2cm between adjacent hexagons).
2、Continuous Cutting
The laminated pastry enters the cutting machine via a conveyor belt. The upper stamping mold descends at a frequency of 30-40 times/minute, cutting the pastry into individual parallel hexagons with blades. Scrap edges are collected by the machine's side waste recycling belt and can be re-kneaded for reuse. During cutting, the pastry must remain taut (controlled by conveyor belt tension) to avoid deformation.
3、Post-Cutting Inspection
The cut hexagonal pastries are conveyed out, and defective products with irregular edges or layer separation are manually removed. Qualified pastries are sent to the forming process.
Involved Equipment
Continuous Cutting Machine
Core components:
◉Stamping molds (replaceable for different shapes; hexagonal molds are made of high-strength alloy steel with sharp edges);
◉Conveyor belt (food-grade PU material with anti-slip patterns, speed synchronized with stamping frequency);
◉ Waste recycling system (composed of scrapers and screw conveyors for automatic edge collection);
◉ Positioning sensors (ensure alignment between molds and pastry, with cutting deviation ≤0.5mm).
Features: Cutting efficiency of 1500-2000 pieces/hour, with high shape consistency, suitable for large-scale standardized production.
Step 5: Shaping with a Cake Forming Machine
Detailed Process
1、Mold Preheating
Cake molds (round, square, cartoon-shaped) assort the forming machine are pre-cleaned and sprayed with mold unloading oil (or lined with parchment paper) to prevent sticking after baking. Mold temperature is controlled at 25-30℃ (excessively cold molds cause sudden batter cooling, affecting expansion).
2、Automatic Forming
Adjust the batter injection volume (tolerance ≤2g) according to cake specifications (50-200g per piece), set conveyor speed (2-4m/min) and injection nozzle height (1-2cm from mold bottom to prevent batter splashing). For layered cakes, multiple injection nozzles are set up (to inject different flavor batters sequentially).
3、Demolding and Conveying
Mixed cake batter is transported to the forming machine’s hopper via pipes, then pumped to injection nozzles by a screw pump, and injected along the mold’s inner wall (to avoid trapping excessive air). After injection, the conveyor moves molds to a vibration table (amplitude 1-2mm, frequency 50 times/minute) to eliminate air bubbles in the batter (preventing holes after baking).
Involved Equipment
Egg Tart Forming Machine
Core components :
◉ Multi-station rotating mold plate (6-12 mold positions for continuous operation);
◉ Pneumatic stamping system (adjustable pressure to avoid pastry cracking or thinning);
◉ Mold heating device (electric heating wires with ±2℃ temperature control precision);
◉ Robotic arm feeding mechanism (±0.5mm positioning precision to ensure centered pastry placement).
Features: Forming speed of 20-30 pieces/minute, with uniform wall thickness and intact edges. Efficiency is 5-8 times higher than manual forming.
Step 6: Baking with a Rotary Oven
Detailed Process
1、Tray Arrangement
Place the formed tart crusts (unfilled) evenly on baking trays (12-16 per tray, with 2-3cm spacing). Brush a thin layer of oil on the tray bottoms (to prevent sticking after baking). Manually push the trays into the baking tray rack layer by layer (each layer load-bearing ≤10kg, 5-8 layers total).
2、Oven Preheating
Start the rotary oven, set baking parameters: top heat 200-210℃, bottom heat 180-190℃ (lower bottom temperature to avoid burning). Preheat to the target temperature (oven temperature difference ≤5℃) for about 15 minutes.
3、Baking Operation
Push the baking tray rack into the rotary oven, close the door, and start the rotation system (2-3r/min) to ensure uniform heating of tart crusts on all layers. After 8-10 minutes, check: stop baking when the edges turn golden, the bottom is slightly browned, and the crusts puff up. If the surface browns too quickly, turn off the top heat and finish baking with bottom heat only.
4、Unloading and Cooling
Pull out the rack, use heat-resistant gloves to remove the trays, and place them on cooling racks for 5 minutes (to prevent over-baking from residual heat). Then fill with tart filling (or package directly if pre-made crusts).
Involved Equipment
Baking Tray Rack and Rotary Oven
◉ Baking Tray Rack: Multi-layer stainless steel frame (with universal wheels for easy movement), adjustable layer spacing (to fit different tray heights), load capacity ≥50kg, corrosion-resistant and easy to clean.
◉ Rotary Oven: Core components include a hot air circulation system (upper and lower heating tubes + centrifugal fan for uniform temperature), rotating bracket (matching the baking tray rack to drive synchronous rotation), digital temperature controller (±1℃ precision, supporting stage temperature control), and explosion-proof observation window (for real-time baking monitoring).
Features: Bakes 50-120 tart crusts at a time, with a baking pass rate ≥98%. It precisely controls the puffing degree of 酥 layers (15%-20% expansion rate), key to ensuring the crispness of tart crusts.
Key Requirements for Linking the Six Steps
