refining, also known as refining, briega or sobado is the process used in baking by which a dough "Dough (food)") is compressed and spread so that it is formed into sheets of a thickness and uniformity greater than those of a kneaded dough. Traditionally this has been done with a roller or a machine with cylinders called a breguil. Currently, there are modern machines with two, three or more cylinders, which allow the process to be industrialized. The refining technique literally "makes the dough finer", obtaining a denser, harder dough, with a silky touch and a texture similar to wet clay. Compression causes the mass to expel the contained gas.

The dough is compressed between two or more rotating rollers continuously for several minutes.[1]​ If done correctly, it results in a smooth, consistent dough.

The dough then passes over one or several calibration rollers (usually on conveyor belts) that reduce the dough to the required thickness. After this, the dough sheet is molded into the desired bakery product. This technology is mainly used in industrial production machines for (semi)industrial bakeries and the food industry in general. Most dough sheeters can handle a wide variety of doughs depending on the machine manufacturer. Dough lamination technology is most commonly used for the production of laminated dough products (puff pastries, etc.) to make croissants and various types of pastries. Refining is also suitable for making bread (candeal type), and flat breads such as pizza.

A great advantage of using laminating technology is the large dough capacity that can be handled. Dough sheeter manufacturers can process high-quality dough sheets at high capacities. Another advantage is that laminating allows you to handle a wide variety of dough types that traditional dough production systems cannot handle, for example, strongly hydrated wet and sticky ciabatta dough.

The origin of the refining process does not specifically date back to at least 1977 in the case of Rademaker BV, which can be considered one of the first specialists in dough rolling technology.

Croissants and puff pastry were the first products made using refining technology. Today in the baking industry there is a tendency to produce bread, flatbread and pizza with refinement.