Professional Advice on How to Pick the Best Commercial Bakery Equipment

Whether you want to open a new bakery shop or you want to expand your old one, investing in the right bakery equipment is the most important part of the process. Although it sounds like a daunting task it is crucial to think about what you want to produce and how much. These are important details that will influence the type of equipment you should purchase. If you need a little bit of help, here is a list of tips and suggestions you may find it useful when it comes to purchasing new bakery equipment.

Baking

There is a reason why we start with the baking process. When people will come to your bakery all they want to find is perfect, fresh-baked products. Because of this, the oven is considered as the heart of any bakery. There are more different types of commercial pastry oven for sale, but no matter which type you choose you will probably need it under a ventilation hood.

• Convection ovens - This is one of the most common pieces of bakery equipment. This amazing pastry oven for sale does a great job of evenly and quickly baking a range of different products from cookies to cakes, bread, pies and brownies. The internal fans of the oven allow for air circulation creating browning and repeatable results. Of all types of commercial ovens, this one is the most common one for bakeries and the most affordable one as well. 

• Deck ovens - Bakeries that are specialised in making specific types of bread find this oven very useful. This oven comes with a stone cooking desk which heats up and gives the crust a crispy, distinctive character while maintaining a moist and soft inside. For this type of oven, you need to ensure you have plenty of space in your bakery which is not an issue with convection ovens for instance. So, keep this factor in mind You can find it as a single or multi-desk style and due to its simple design and moving parts, this oven can operate without a lot of hassle and can last a long time.

• Roll-in rack ovens - These ovens have a similar concept to the roll-in refrigerators where you can wheel a pan rack full of goos right into the oven. There are some models that can "grab" the pan rack and rotate them during the baking process. The benefits of this oven are the labour and time savings due to less product handling. 

• Revolving ovens - `These ovens come with a very output capability and high capacity but along with this, they are expensive too. Because of this, ensure your budget and output needs can justify the purchase of this type of unit.

Dough preparation

Before to put your products in the oven you need to prepare them. For this job, you will need some basic equipment for dough preparation. You need to have your dough properly mixed which is crucial for quality and the texture of the finished product. Here are the pieces you need for this process.

• Commercial mixer - Planetary mixer for commercial needs can be found in a range of sizes. Usually, for a middle size to the large bakery, you will need several large floor units and you may also benefit from a countertop portable unit which is perfect for mixing small amounts of fillings or icing easy and quick. 

• Dough dividers and sheeters - Dough dividers are pieces that take a large batch of dough and portion it out into pieces which are the same size and weight which further are used for making bread, pies or even pizza crusts. On the other hand, dough sheeters take a bought ball and roll and stretch it out to the size and thickness that you choose. 

• Holding/proofing - Before baking, the dough needs to rise. It's well known that dough best rises in a humid, warm environment so may also want to invest in some proofing cabinets. These are pieces of bakery equipment that maintain the perfect humidity and temperature for consistent, repeatable results. There is a number of styles and variations of proofing cabinets so before making a purchase consider size, the door configuration and interior configuration of the unit.

Display and sales

Last but not least, you will also need to consider about the display and sales aspects, specifically about bread slicers and bakery display cases. 

• Bread slicers - these units provide consistency and speed of cut what makes them a perfect option if you are planning to sell sliced bread. Some specialized models od slicers can even accommodate unique baked goods like buns, French bread and bagels.

• Bakery display cases - Consider what types of bakery display cases you need. There are available non-refrigerated and refrigerated styles and which type you will choose depends on the type of your products. Further, if you want to mix both then you need to decide whether you want a self-serve display or one designed for serving customers from behind the corner. There are also a lot of styles and sizes to choose from.

Finding and buying the right and high-quality bakery equipment is a good way to start and it's just one step in running a successful business.