Essential Commercial Bakery Equipment You Need for Your Business

Choosing the right mix of commercial bakery equipment may sound like an arduous task at first. Whether you are opening a new bakery, expanding an existing business or simply replacing old bakery equipment with new ones, you want to maximize your moneys worth by purchasing the right equipment. It is essential that you do not only think about what you want to produce but also how much you need in order to purchase all that bakery equipment. Here is a list of essential commercial bakery equipment you might want to purchase to help you with your business needs!

Dough Preparation
Everything starts with the dough. Properly mixing the dough is crucial in creating the texture and quality of the finished product for your baked goods. Most commercial bakeries prefer multiple dough mixers while artisan-style bakeries would still prefer bread dough by hand using a wood bakers table.

Commercial Mixers
Planetary mixers are available in an assortment of sizes from 5 qt. countertop models up to about 100+ qt. floor units. Mid to large size bakeries usually have large floor units and might need portable countertop mixers for mixing small batches of fillings or icing quickly. Take note that the most important factor to consider when matching the capabilities of the mixer you need for your bakery is what you want to do with your commercial mixers. It will always depend on the products you serve your customers.

Sheeters & Dough Dividers
Dough sheeters are usually used for rolling and stretching out a ball of dough to the specific size and thickness that you prefer. This basically improves the consistency of dough crusts in your pizzas and pies.

Dough dividers on the one hand are specialized commercial bakery equipment that is used to take large batches of dough and portions it all out into equally weighted and sized dough balls for consistency when making breads, pizza crusts or even pies.

Both dough dividers and sheeters save a great deal of labor when it comes to improving the consistency of your products. However, you still need to consider your return on investment as this bakery equipment will initially cost you.

Proofing / Holding Cabinets
Proofing bread dough is done to allow the dough to rise before you start baking. As dough usually rise best in a warm, humid environment, it is essential that you have proofing cabinets to get consistent perfect humidity levels and temperature for best repeatable results.

You can opt to purchase proofing cabinets or other models that boast a holding function. These holding & proofing cabinets can provide a versatility of bakery equipment in just a single footprint. You can proof dough while at the same time keep the finished products hot and ready to sell in the holding cabinet to your customers.

Proofer / Retarder
The best way to slow down the dough from rising is by refrigerating it. However, some types of dough turn out to be the best when they are allowed to settle at high temperatures than those offered by a commercial refrigerator. This said, you may need to consider a retarder to do the job. Versatile retarders usually have a proofer which is a great labor saver as you can already put dough overnight in the equipment and program the machine to start proofing on a given time so it will be ready when you need it.

Baking
Remember that the heart of every bakery is nonetheless its oven you will face a lot of options when deciding which type of oven you need to purchase for your business. Like deciding to purchase a mixer, it is also essential to determine which products are you producing before purchasing your commercial oven. Theres a lot of factors you need to consider before you end up buying the bakery oven that meets all your business needs.

Convection Ovens
Convection ovens are the most common commercial bakery equipment that you should have on your list. These ovens are excellent for evenly and quickly baking a variety of products from cakes to cookies to bread loaves, brownies and pies. Convection ovens are the most typical types you will see in a bakery and also one of the least expensive.

Deck Ovens
Those who usually prefer making a specific type of bread often have deck ovens as their first choice. Although deck ovens usually take up more space as compared to convection ovens, the stone cooking decks gives a more distinctive crust and crispy character while at the same time maintaining moist and soft inside.

Roll-In Rack Ovens
These type of ovens are similar in concept to proofing cabinets or roll-in refrigerator. The primary advantage of having these ovens in your bakery is that it is both labor and time saving as a result of less product handling.

Revolving Ovens
These ovens usually are equipped with large revolving trays where you can load your products. Revolving ovens are mostly for high volume capacity and are quite expensive. Make sure you can justify this on your budget before you purchase one.

Display Systems & Sales
Bread Slicers
This is an excellent option if your bakery is planning to sell sliced bread. Specialized bread slicers can accommodate baked goods ranging from buns to French bread to bagels.

Bakery Display Cases
If you are planning to have a retail component in your bakery business, you also need to consider the type of bakery display cases you need. Depending on the type of products you are to sell to your customers, both refrigerated and non-refrigerated display cases are available. You will also need to decide if you want to purchase a self-serve display case or one that is designed to serve customers behind the counter.

Finding the perfect commercial bakery equipment for your business is just the start in order to be successful. Remember that you have to consider a lot of things before deciding to purchase put up your own commercial bakery.