Overall process involved in biscuit manufaturing

What is biscuit?

A biscuit is a flour-based baked food product. 
A kind of bread in small, soft cakes, raised with baking powder or soda, or sometimes with yeast; scone.

•  Technology of Biscuits:

   Groupings have been made in various ways based on

1.   The method of forming dough and dough piece

�         Fermented

�         Developed

�         Laminated

�         Cut

�         Moulded

�         Extruded deposited

�         Wire cut co-extruded

2.   According to texture and hardness

�         Biscuits

�         Crackers

�         Cookies

3.   According to the recipe enrichments with ingredients like fat and sugar

�   Another type of classification based on secondary processing are Cream sandwiched, chocolate coated, moulded in chocolate, iced (half coated with an icing that has been dried)and added jam or mallow (or both)

�     The main raw materials for biscuits are flour, sugar and shortening. For protein enriched peanut flour or isolates, soy flour etc. can be added.

�     Other ingredients include leavening agents, vitamins, minerals and flavours. In sweet biscuits, cane sugar is added while in salty biscuits, sodium chloride (0.5-1.0 percent is added).

•             The main steps involved in biscuit making are :-

1.   Mixing and kneading: Weighed amount of sifted flour, sugar, shortening and flavouring agents are mixed in mechanical mixer. Water and baking powder are added during mixing to obtain dough of desired consistency. Kneading for 10-20 min produces biscuits with fine structure, smooth crust and better appearance.

2.   Sheeting and shaping: The dough is then rolled into sheets of desired thickness by passing it through pairs of rolls. The sheets are then cut by mechanically worked stamped dividers fitted with dies.

3.   Baking and cooling: the cut biscuits are then transferred to  plate sheet or wire mesh bands travelling through ovens. The biscuits are generally baked at 450 degree F for 15 min and cooled to ambient temperature after baking.

4.   Packaging: the biscuits should be packed in moisture and grease proof cellophane or metalized laminated foils.