Commercial Bakery Equipment

Start with what you bake and how much of it. That one answer usually settles planetary against spiral.

Planetary mixers take interchangeable tools — a hook, a paddle and a whisk — so one machine covers batters, icing, pastry and smaller dough batches. The tool orbits a stationary bowl, which is where the name comes from.

Spiral mixers are a better choice when you need bulk preparation and are the best option for dough, gently developing gluten with minimal heat to avoid over-kneading that compromises the texture when you bake it. A spiral mixer is especially ideal for when you're producing bread or heavy doughs like sourdough or seeded loaves in larger volumes and can deliver bigger batches in shorter times.

Size it on your busiest day, not an average one. Work out what you sell on that day and start there. You should also account for the space you actually have to bake in, ensuring you've got something like a high-capacity combi oven that's ideal for baking but can also accommodate different types of baked goods at the same time. Typically you'll want equipment that can deliver around 20% to 30% more than you need, giving you space to move up in production without needing to upgrade, while still not overloading your kitchen space with oversized equipment.

Getting the perfect thickness from your dough can be a challenge to achieve by hand when you go past a certain volume in production. If your bakery is producing large volumes of pastry or dough on a daily basis, investing in a sheeter quickly pays for itself in labour hours saved. A commercial pastry sheeter gives you the same thickness every sheet, and it does it faster than hands can.

Over or underproofing your dough will give you poor results, either giving you flat and sticky dough or coming out of the oven undercooked in the centre. To avoid this, having adjustable speed settings on your planetary mixer or spiral mixer is key. Many come with timers to remove the need to constantly monitor your dough, though accounting for different levels of heat and humidity is also important as these factors can influence the dough quality as well.

Your bowl needs to be just right too, with anything too small making it easy for ingredients to spill or under-mix, while something too large and the dough can fail to develop correctly. If you're unsure which size you need, you can contact the team at REO and we can give you a personal recommendation for your needs.

As with any commercial kitchen, hygiene is imperative for health and safety but also quality. When it comes to cleaning your mixers, trays, sheeters and dough rollers, make sure you're properly cleaning the trays and put any removable parts in the dishwasher if it's safe to do so to get the best possible sanitation. Otherwise look for gear that is easy to wipe down by hand: stainless steel construction, sealed surfaces on mixers and sheeters to prevent flour and dough traps, and bowls that are simple to detach and wash. You should also periodically check the motors and make sure they're properly lubricated where needed so you get a consistent level of performance while also reducing the chances of wearing any parts out.

Layout matters as much as the machines. Measure what you have, then leave room for power points and for staff to actually stand and work. Equipment should be close to food and ingredient storage, along with intermediate space for food preparation. Equally, make sure your mixers, dough proofers, and sheeters are close to your oven and have enough room so your staff can access all sides easily. This helps with loading and unloading the oven, as well as completing regular cleaning tasks more easily.

Downtime in bakery equipment is usually a simple fix, and can often be prevented with a little regular maintenance. Common issues come from things like insufficient lubrication of moving parts like the motors or mixer arms, and buildup of flour and dough in moving parts. It's also important to make sure you're not over-working your bakery equipment as this will wear your appliances down, resulting in an entire replacement in some instances. Regular maintenance, periodic servicing for larger appliances, and proper cleaning can limit the amount of issues with equipment that could result in downtime.

You will see industrial baking equipment and professional bakery equipment used for the same kind of equipment. The name changes with the supplier and the region, not the job it does. Compare models on capacity, construction and the specification on each product page, and check the full bakery equipment range to see every option side by side.