Baked Snack Food Product With Improved Textural Attributes

Abstract

Baked snack food product with improved textural attributes. The method for making the baked snack food product comprises mixing ingredients, extruding the ingredients to form a collet, hydrating the collet with a hydrating fluid to form a hydrated collet, and baking the hydrated collet. The hydrating fluid can comprise water, oil, a surfactant, an emulsifier, and mixtures thereof In one embodiment the baking comprises utilizing an impingement oven. The method discussed herein more resembles the taste and texture of a fried product than does prior art baking methods.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A snack food product made by the method of:
 a) mixing ingredients, wherein said ingredients comprise corn masa and water;   b) extruding said ingredients to form a collet;   c) hydrating said collet with a hydrating fluid to form a hydrated collet wherein said hydrating fluid comprises steam;   d) baking said hydrated collet, wherein said collet has a moisture content of about 10-60% after said hydrating of step c) and before said baking of step d).   
     
     
         2 . The snack food product made by the method of  claim 1  wherein said hydrating fluid comprises oil. 
     
     
         3 . The snack food product made by the method of  claim 2  wherein said oil comprises at least one anti-oxidant. 
     
     
         4 . The snack food product made by the method of  claim 1  wherein said hydrating fluid comprises a surfactant. 
     
     
         5 . The snack food product made by the method of  claim 1  wherein said hydrating of step c) comprises spraying said hydrating fluid. 
     
     
         6 . The snack food product made by the method of  claim 1  wherein said hydrating fluid comprises about 1 to about 60% by weight of the collet. 
     
     
         7 . The snack food product made by the method of  claim 1  wherein said hydrating step increases the moisture content of said collet. 
     
     
         8 . The snack food product made by the method of  claim 1  wherein said collet has a moisture content of about 11 to about 13% after said extruding of step b) and before said hydrating of step c). 
     
     
         9 . The snack food product made by the method of  claim 1  wherein said hydrating fluid comprises a soluble protein fraction. 
     
     
         10 . The snack food product made by the method of  claim 1  wherein said baking of step d) comprises utilizing an impingement oven. 
     
     
         11 . The snack food product made by the method of  claim 1  wherein said baking of step d) comprises utilizing a convection oven. 
     
     
         12 . The snack food product made by the method of  claim 1  wherein said mixing of step a) consists of mixing corn masa and water.