Have you ever wondered how bakeries can produce so many products in such little time? Well, thank specialty bakery equipment for that. There are pieces of equipment that just aren’t available to home bakers that make such fast turnaround possible. Bakeries use machines to do in seconds what humans would take minutes to do, and they also make use of industrial-sized equipment that produces a large number of items. If you’re planning to enter this business, here are the basic pieces of equipment you’ll need when opening a bakery.
Dough Dividers
Dough dividers are specialized pieces of commercial bakery equipment that take a large batch of dough and separate it into equally weighted and sized balls of dough for consistent results when making bread, pies, or even pizza crusts. The best part about them is that they take a ball of dough and roll and stretch it out to the size and thickness that you have previously specified. This helps improve consistency in your pie and pizza dough crusts.
Dough Sheeter
The ball of dough that the divider makes is inserted into the sheeter in order to get spread out to the size and thickness that you desire. This piece of equipment is also a great time and labour saver, but similar to the divider – it is very bulky, hence the high price tag. Making dough in high volumes is the best use for the sheeter as this way it pays off the most.
Oven
The oven is the most basic piece of equipment that every bakery should have. Nevertheless, in order to get the right one for your needs, you first need to understand the different types. Convection ovens are the most popular choice nowadays as they enable you to bake all kinds of products – from cookies to bread and pies. Although bigger than convection ovens, deck ovens are a great choice if you are someone who is going to be making a specific type of bread. They are long-lasting and very simple to operate. Revolving ovens, on the other hand, have large trays that move in a circle and they are ideal for a large production. The roll-in rack oven is made to reduce time and labor since it involves less product handling.
Mixer
Mixers are essential pieces of equipment in all bakeries. They are used to mix cake batter and make whipped cream, dough, icing and fillings. They come in two types – planetary and spiral. A planetary mixer has universal attachments that can be used to create the bakery specialties I just mentioned above, while a spiral mixer can only be used to knead and mix dough that will be used in bread, bagels and pizza crusts.
Proof Box
Dough can take up to two hours or more to proof when baking at home. However, bakeries need a faster turnaround, and proof boxes help them achieve that. These pieces of equipment are high-humidity/high-temperature boxes that allow for the dough to proof in as little as 15 minutes. They help make it moister, which results in a yummy bread or crust.
