The present invention relates to a baking mould made from a paper material and comprising a plane base and, integral therewith, inclined sides which extend obliquely outwards from said base and which terminate at the top in a flange which projects substantially parallel with the base and which is formed with an indentation which is preferably formed from below and which forms a groove extending along the flange.

Moulds of the generally known type have folded sides in order to provide a given degree of rigidity to the sides and to the mould as such. EP 502286 and EP 544973 disclose paper moulds of the initially mentioned type which, at least at the flange, have a double layer of material and, furthermore, have a complicated construction. For many types of pastry, so-called filled pastry, for example mazarines, pies, etc., folded sides are unacceptable and these sides would still not withstand the stresses which occur when the paste is pressed with a given force into the mould. Thus a material has to be used which withstands these stresses, for example aluminium foil. It is possible to produce from aluminium foil a mould which has completely smooth sides but nevertheless withstands the stresses which occur.

However, aluminium foil is a material which consumes a large amount of resources and is harmful to the environment since it has a long degradation time.

The object of the present invention is to provide a mould of the initially mentioned type which is economical in terms of resources, is comparatively cheap to produce and which, further, is compostable or can be burnt without giving off heat and, therefore, only pollutes the environment to a slight degree. The paper mould according to the invention provides an environmentally-friendly substitute for a conventional aluminium mould, and the paper mould can be used in bakery production lines without their requiring considerable modifications. According to the invention, this object is achieved in that the sides are substantially smooth and in that the paper material forms a single layer, at least at the flange.

Further advantages and notable features of the invention will emerge from the following description given with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows in a plan view from above an oval embodiment of a mould according to the invention; and

Figure 2 shows a section along the longitudinal axis of the mould in Figure 1.

A mould according to the invention has a plane base 11, which is produced by pressing, and inclined sides 2 which extend obliquely outwards and are integral with the base. The mould is made of a paper material, preferably so-called greaseproof, which has a basis weight of substantially 40 - 200 g/m ² , preferably 70 g/m ² .

The sides 2 of the mould are substantially smooth; any irregularities in the sides are the result of the starting material's being folded double by chance during the pressing process. The sides 2 terminate at the top in a projecting flange 2a of single paper material. The flange forms an angle with the sides 2, preferably such that it is substantially parallel with the base 1. The flange 2a is formed with an indentation 2al which forms a groove extending along the flange 2a. Preferably, but not necessarily, the indentation is produced from below, i.e. the flange 2a has on its upper side an annular ridge 2a2, of which the cross-section is substantially semi-circular. The indentation 2al contributes decisively to the stability of the mould and enables the initially mentioned stresses to be withstood.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiment shown in the drawings. The base and cross-section of the mould can be circular or a rounded quadrilateral.