The cooling process in the vacuum cell causes the baked goods to lose a lot of water, which can lead to dry baked goods if no other changes are made to the process. To avoid this, it is necessary to reduce the baking time by 25 - 30 %. Furthermore, the dough yield can be increased by one to two percentage points in the case of some baked goods.
The same cooling programme in the vacuum cell cannot be used for every type of baked goods. Instead, specific cooling curves must be developed, in which the time/pressure curve is matched to each type of baked goods. Baked goods with a low dough scaling weight, such as wheat morning goods, generally require a shorter cooling time than large-volume products such as toast bread. Compact products with a high density such as cheesecake also require more time in the cell than very airy products with a low density such as croissants.
For products with very high scaling weight or very high densities, it is advisable to reduce the pressure in the cell more slowly or in several steps. If the time/pressure curve is set incorrectly or the process parameters are not adjusted, baking faults such as dry products, separation of the crust from the crumb and cracks in the base area of the products may occur.
In addition to water, some highly volatile substances evaporate during the vacuum cooling process, which can lead to a loss of flavour in some products. The use of flavour-intensive primary products such as dried sourdoughs, malts or malt extracts can compensate for the loss of flavour. For products with fillings, it may be necessary to increase the dosage of the flavourings contained.
The vacuum cell should be placed directly next to the oven because the cooling process in the vacuum cell should take place immediately after the baking process. If the products cool down before vacuum conditioning, the positive effects described do not occur.
