Hydration process for a refried bean product

Abstract

This application provides a process for producing a refried bean product. The refried bean product contains both homogenized cooked bean particles and larger sized cooked bean particles and provides a texture typical of refried beans. The present process includes hydrating dried beans in water a period of time sufficient to increase the moisture content of the beans, cooking the hydrated beans in water, coarse grinding the cooked beans to provide a bean slurry, dividing the bean slurry into first and second portions, milling the first bean portion to provide a milled bean portion, homogenizing the milled bean portion with water to provide an homogenized bean portion, combining the homogenized portion and the second coarse ground bean portion with water, spices and lard to provide a combined bean mixture, and mixing the combined bean mixture to provide a refried bean product.

1 . A refried bean product comprising a portion of homogenized cooked bean particles and a portion of coarse ground bean particles, wherein the product has a moisture content of more than about 80%.