Puffed food product and a method of making the same

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A NEW AND IMPROVED FOOD SNACK PRODUCT WHICH COMPRISES PREPARING A DOUG MIXTURE CONSISTING, BY WEIGHT, ABOUT 35 TO 75 PERCENT STARCH AND ABOUT 7 TO 30 PERCENT FLOUR, INCORPORATING THEREIN ABOUT 5 TO 40 PERCENT, BASED UPON THE TOTAL DRY WEIGHT OF THE DOUGH INGREDIENTS, OF DISTINCTLY DISCERNIBLE, EDIBLE PIECES OF A FOREIGN FOOD ADJUNCT, ADDING BETWEEN ABOUT 0.5 AND 4 PARTS OF WATER PER PART OF DRY DOUGH MIX, THE AMOUNT OF WATER BEING SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE SWELLING, BUT NOT EXTENSIVE RUPTURE OF THE STARCH GRANULES, MIXING THE AFORESAID INGREDIENTS AFTER ADDITION OF SAID WATER TO FORM A DOUGH, FIRMING THE DOUGH TO RENDER IT CAPABLE OF BEING MECHANICALLY SLICED, MECHANICALLY SLICING THE DOUGH INTO A PLURALITY OF PIECES, DRYING THE SLICES TO A MOSITURE CONTENT OF ABOUT 8-12 WEIGHT PERCENT, AND IMMERSING THE RESULTING SLICES INTO A HOT, EDIBLE OIL BATH AT ABOUT 350-425*F. UNTIL THEY HAVE EXPANDED TO ABOUT 3-6 TIMES THEIR ORIGINAL SIZE TO THEREBY FORM PUFFED SNACK PIECES COMPRISNG A COOKED DOUGH SUBSTRATE HAVING INCORPORATED THEREIN DISCRETE, EDIBLE PIECES OF A FOREIGN FOOD ADJUNCT.