Improving the quality of bread made from partially baked, refrigerated and frozen dough

This chapter presents an overview of the different methods used to produce bake-off products, known collectively as bake-off technology (BOT). The bake-off concept involves the manufacture of semifinished products in factories, which are then finished in baking stations situated at the point of retail. Freezing permits the extension of the shelf life of food and is very often a part of the bake-off process. The bake-off processes most commonly used are the partially baked frozen and unfrozen dough methods and the unfermented frozen dough method. In addition, other methods are being developed such as the prefermented frozen dough process.