LARGE MACHINERY USED IN BAKERY AND PASTRY

Bakery and confectionary have a range of sophisticated equipment as it is a specialized area of kitchen.

Machinery Description
Ovens

Other names: Batch ovens, rotator ovens

Ovens are traditionally used for baking purposes and they come in various shapes and sizes. The type of
the oven largely depends upon the kind of operations. In large operations, where the baked products
are required to be made in bulk, large rotator ovens are a good choice. There are also large ovens with
automatic feeding belts, where entire batches of products are loaded and removed from the oven with
the help of an automatic feeder. Such an oven is known as batch oven as big batches of products are
baked in it.

Convection ovens

Other names:

Combi ovens –
These ovens come in various sizes and work on the principle of circulation of hot air. Some models are
also available with roll-in trolleys that can be loaded and rolled inside the cabinet. This equipment
comes very handy in cooking as well as reheating of food. They are called Combi ovens as they have the
facilities of moist as well as dry heat.

Pizza ovens

These ovens are different from regular ovens as they are used mostly for baking pizzas only. These are
available in various sizes. The height of the deck of these ovens is as low as eight inches so that a pizza
can be slipped into it by using a long shovel known as pizza bat. The floor of this oven is usually made of
stone so that it gives a rustic look to the pizza.

Walk-in
Other names:

Cold storage room

Walk-ins are refrigerated compact areas where one could walk inside and hence the name walk-in. They
can be custom made to any size to be suited for an operation. One could have walk-in refrigerators or
freezers depending upon the requirement. Certain companies are now specializing in modular shelving
so that the storage of food can be as per the food safety norms and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
Points (HACCP).

Freezers other names:

Deeps Freezers

Are very important parts of any bulk cooking operation. As quantity cooking involves planning and
advance mise en place, we need ample refrigerated space to store the same until it is ready for cooking.
These are available in various sizes depending upon the requirement. You could have roll-in trolley style
or the ones which have shelving. The deep freezers are used in pastry kitchen for storage and also many
products need prior freezing before any other application is carried out. For example, an entremet has
to be frozen, before it can be glazed or sprayed with cocoa butter.
Blast chillers/Freezer

Other names:

Blast chilling units Blast chillers and freezers are one of the most important equipment used in pastry
operations for modern cakes and pastries. Blast freezers allow the cakes and pastries to freeze quickly
so that they can be glazed or sprayed depending upon the finish required.

Deep fat fryers

Other names:

Deep frying unit Deep fat fryers are safer in bulk cooking for deep frying as they are available from small
table top models to large ones that can hold up to 30 litres of oil. It is always safe to use deep fat fryers
rather than open pots and kadhai whilst frying in large quantities. Deep fat fryers are commonly used for
frying doughnuts and other fried products used in bakery and confectionary

Flour sieves

Other names:
 Sifter As the name suggests, this equipment is used for sifting flour. It is electrically operated and can
sift large quantities of flour in less than a minute. It comes in very handy as it saves time and avoids too
much handling of the raw commodity.

Dough mixers

Other names:

Planetary dough mixer/Spiral dough mixer

Dough mixers are available in various sizes and one could chose depending upon the size of operation.
Some dough mixers can easily knead up to 100 kg of flour and even more. This machine comes in handy
when one has to produce breads in bulk.

Table top mixers

Other names:

Universal dough mixer

Some table top models are very important to do mixing and whipping of meringues for smaller batches
as well. These small dough mixers come with attachments such as beater, paddle, and balloon whisks
and can be used for kneading small quantities of dough, batters or whipping creams and meringues.
Dough divider

Other names:

Dough cutter

As the name suggests this equipment is used to divide the dough. Some models also help to shape the
rolls. Usually, a standard model divides the dough into 36 pieces. So if we want each roll to be of 50 g we
would scale the dough of 1800 g. This when divided into 36 pieces will yield a roll of 50 g and so on. This
saves time and also helps to maintain the costs as the yield is same every time.

Proving cabinets

It is a cabinet with water being heated with an element. Electric, gas, and pressure steam models are
available. It maintains the temperature of 25°C and humidity of 90% and is used for proving breads.

Retarder proofer Retarder proofer is very helpful equipment used in bakery operations involving yeast
leavened products. It can be timed for around 24 hours, where the products will freeze, thaw, and proof
as per the programme set. This is quite helpful equipment in bulk production.
Dough sheeter

Other names:

Sheeting machine

Dough sheeter is commonly used in bakery kitchen and helps to roll out the dough for fabricating
breads. It comes in various sizes and one can choose depending upon the kind of operation.

Ice cream machine

Other names:

Sorbetiere

These can be table top models or floor mounted depending upon the volume of business. The ice cream
mix is poured in the machine and it churns the mixture whilst continuously freezing it, thereby
preventing crystal formation and hence, preparing a smooth ice cream or sorbet.
Chocolate tempering machine

Other names:

Tempering machine

These are commercially available machines that work on temperature control. The machine
automatically melts the coverture to 40°C and then cools it down to 28°C until all the good crystals are
formed. The machine then brings the temperature to the working temperature, which is different for
each kind of coverture. This machine can be programmed according to the specific requirement of the
chocolate. The paddle in the chocolate tempering machine keeps stirring the chocolate constantly and
this ensures that each particle of chocolate has been evenly melted.

Bread slicing machine

Other names:

Bread slicer

This is important equipment in bakery and is used for slicing bread loaves for toasts and sandwich
preparations. This equipment saves time whilst slicing breads and gives uniform slices.
Apart from these, small tools and equipment are widely used in bakery and confectionary to carry out
daily jobs.

Small equipment
Sieve

Drum sieve is mostly used to sieve flours and the size of the mesh through which the flour will be sieved
will depend upon the type of flour being used.

Weighing scale

Preferably a digital weighing scale is better, as the accuracy of the ingredients is very important.

Baking trays
Often known as sheet pans, they can be of iron or Teflon, coated for non-stick.

Bread moulds

These are containers of various shapes and sizes and are often sold by the volume they are intended for.
So one can easily procure moulds of 1 lb, 2 lb, etc.

Dough scorers

A piece of equipment having a sharp surgical blade in the end, to score the breads at an angle before
baking.

Dough scrapers
Available in plastic or steel, they are used to scrape dough and also to cut it for scaling.

Bench brush

A large hard bristle brush to clean the table top and to brush away excess flour.

Spray bottle

It is used for spraying water onto the breads, if the ovens are not equipped with steam injections.

Cake moulds
 Available in various shapes and sizes, they are used for baking cakes. Traditionally cake moulds are
round, but now a day’s various shapes such as triangles, ovals and even pyramids are available.

Tart and flan moulds

These are available in various shapes and sizes such as boat shapes, square, round, and fluted. These
moulds are used for preparing tart, pies, and flans.

Cutters various types of cutters are used in bakery and pastry.

They can be of various shapes and sizes and are used for making cookies and biscuits. Few cutters such
as doughnut cutter are typically used for cutting doughnuts.

Savarin mould

A mould used for making Baba au rum. The hole in the centre of the cake is filled with fresh fruits after
baking.
Tube shaped round mould

It is used for baking angel food cakes and chiffon cakes. The mould is seldom greased for a better finish
and hence, it will be advisable to use non-stick moulds.

Serrated knife

It is used for slicing sponges into layers, which can then be layered with assorted fillings to create cakes
and gateaux.

Palette knives

A flat knife used for icing the sponges. They can be straight or angular and are available in various sizes.

Piping bags and nozzles

Turn table

Also called Lazy Suzanne or cake turn table, it is used for icing and finishing the cakes. It rotates on an
axis thereby allowing the chef to evenly spread the cream and other fillings with ease. It is available in
metal and plastic as well. Today many manufacturers are making motorized cake turn tables.

Flat paddle

An attachment of a dough mixer, it is used for creaming butter and sugar to make sponges by creaming
method.

Balloon whisk

A balloon shape wire whisk used for whipping the ingredients.

Wire racks
A piece of equipment used for cooling the baked goods.

Silpat

These are non-stick silicone baking sheets used for baking things that tend to stick on other surfaces.

Zesters various kinds of graters are used in pastry and bakery kitchen to extract the zest from citrus
fruits. Some of the common ones used are:

Micro plane grater:

Micro plane graters have a sharp tooth and their sleek shape helps to maintain a grip whilst grating
spices such as nutmeg.

Zester:
As the name suggests, this tool is used for removing zest from citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges.
This has a slightly curved tip with sharp holes in it, which removes the zest without any bitter pith
attached to it.

Utility tools

These are a range of tools used in pastry kitchen for various kinds of jobs. These tools not only help to
do the job efficiently but also help to get a consistent product. Some of such tools used are:

Can and bottle opener:

Pastry kitchen uses lots of canned and bottled items and this piece of equipment is very handy to open
cans and tins. These are available in various shapes and sizes.

Corers:

As the name suggests, these tools are used for coring the central part of a fruit without cutting it open.
This tool is used when we need the fruit intact or it needs to be cut into slices. Corers are used mainly
for coring apples and pears and some large corers are also used for coring pineapples.

Pitters:
 These small tools are the most important small tools used in pastry kitchen. They can be used for
removing pits from stone fruits such as cherries and olives.

Silicone moulds

Various companies around the world are manufacturing moulds in silicone that can withstand high
temperatures. There are various benefits of using silicone moulds. They do not require greasing and the
product does not get stuck to the base. Silicone moulds can be of various designs and shapes and they
give a very modern look to the cakes and pastries. Silicone moulds can also be used for preparing
garnishes such as caramel and chocolates

Butane torches

These are small torch burners that get attached to a butane canister. They come in very handy to spot
caramelize products. This tool has various uses, it can be used to extract chilled cakes out of the metallic
moulds by heating the sides of the cake with the torch burner. It can be used for caramelizing sugar on
many desserts such as crème brûlée.

Combs

Various kinds of combs are used for creating designs on the sides or top of the cake. Combs are available
in various materials such as metal, plastic or high grade silicon rubber. These combs are used for
preparing various garnishes for cakes and pastries

Chocolate thermometer

A chocolate thermometer is available in various shapes and materials. The grading on this thermometer
corresponds to the various degrees required by a particular kind of chocolate. It also has markings which
display the correct working temperature of a chocolate. It is also available in digital mode.

Moulds

These are poly carbonate plastic moulds available in various shapes and designs, commonly used for
making moulded chocolates. Some moulds such as eggs and spheres are moulded and stuck together,
whereas some moulds of figures, when joined together have an opening from where the excess
chocolate can be poured out, when making moulded chocolates.
Scrapers and spatulas

The most important tool that a pastry chef cannot do without is a flexible plastic scraper or a spatula.
These are used for mixing and removing items from one bowl to another.