Best Commercial Bakery Equipment: Buyer’s Guide

buyer's guides

Our informative buyer's guide will help you decide on the best bakery equipment you need to open or operate a successful commercial bakery.

We've compiled this thorough guide to help navigate the many diverse bakery equipment products. Whether you’re looking to purchase new or used commercial bakery equipment, this buyer’s guide will help you find the best bakery equipment for your needs.

Setting up your new or existing bakery for success isn't just about purchasing the right bakery equipment, you also need to consider the business side including your business plan, creating a brand, designing your retail space, equipping your kitchen, and more.

You also need to consider your concept (are you going to be a more bread-based bakery or are you looking to set up a pastry shop). Will your customers be off-the-street consumers or are you planning to make baked goods for other restaurants, grocery stores, banquet halls, or other foodservice venues?

Once you're familiar with the different options it’s still helpful to get advice from a professional - who understands the bakery industry and can assess your needs. This could be a commercial kitchen consultant, restaurant equipment dealer, or someone who’s supported other similar businesses. They can help you decide what’s most suitable for your needs and assist you in choosing the best bakery equipment based on your concept and what’s available in the Canadian market.

And of course, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the team at SilverChef if you have any questions about how to buy bakery equipment for your business.

Here’s what our bakery equipment guide covers:

Main things to consider when opening a commercial bakery
Types of bakery equipment
Used commercial bakery equipment versus new commercial bakery equipment
Some of the best bakery equipment brands
Questions to ask before you buy bakery equipment
Commercial bakery equipment FAQs
Commercial bakery equipment terminology

"Restaurants Canada indicates that bakeries and cafés have every reason to feel optimistic. There will be an increased tendency to buy both freshly baked and pre-packaged goods." ~Bakers Journal food trends for 2021

1. Main things to consider when opening a commercial bakery

Create a clear business plan

Successful businesses don’t happen by accident. Your business plan is a key first step in getting your bakery off the ground. Start by doing some market research to understand how your bakery will fit into the competitive landscape. This is called a market analysis.

For example, is your bakery location close to a major supermarket? They’ll be hard to compete with given the volume they can buy and sell so you may want to focus on higher-end baked goods like artisan bread or good quality pastries.

On the other hand, if your bakery is next to a popular café, you’ll want to understand what they sell and how you can complement their menu — not compete with it. That might mean selling the perfect, irresistible chocolate croissant that will be an accompaniment to their takeout coffee.

You’ll also need to think about your management plan. If you'll be working as head baker, what other skills sets and expertise will you need to bring in? Remember that there's also a retail element to your business, along with general business management aspects to think about like payroll, ordering, and staffing.

And then there's financing. Where is the money coming from to set up your bakery? Are you going to bankroll your store yourself? Will you be bringing in private partners? Do you need a bank loan?

This is where an equipment financing partner like SilverChef can help. Rather than putting all your cash into purchasing the bakery equipment you need to get up and running, we can connect you with bakery equipment finance options such as Rent-Try-Buy® and Lease-to-Keep™.

Build your brand

Brands aren't just for big businesses. Even the smallest bakery can use a carefully composed brand to communicate its value proposition. In other words, your brand should tell your customers what they can expect from you.

Are you a trendy inner-city bakery that serves up Instagram-worthy fare? Are you a reliable suburban bakery that offers consistent quality at good prices? Or are you an old-school bakery that makes traditional favourites just like grandma baked?

From your logo and your store design to where and how you choose to advertise, your brand is like a short-hand language that connects with the demographic that will become your best and most loyal customers.

Your brand also determines the direction of your advertising and marketing strategy. For example, a reliable suburban bakery may benefit from advertising in the local primary school’s newsletter. But the trendy inner-city venue will get more value from a strong social media presence.

Location, location, location

This well-known real estate slogan applies here. Ideally, you want to be in a highly visible location with as much foot traffic as possible. You also want to make sure your customers have easy access to your shop with good nearby parking.

Your location may also direct your brand niche. For example, if you’re close to a train station and you're selling croissants and breakfast pastries to morning commuters this could be lucrative. But if you’re close to a primary school think about appealing to parents on the morning and afternoon school run.

You’ll want to assess other nearby businesses. Investigate any competing bakeries and be clear about how you’ll differentiate your brand and product offering to build a competitive advantage. Also, remember that some nearby businesses may be complimentary. For example, a neighbouring cafe that doesn’t sell baked goods might be interested in a partnership with you, or a hair salon may consider bringing in your pastries for their customers.

And don’t be scared to think outside the box. How about an online bakery with a delivery service or a bakery-based food truck?

Design your retail space

Now that you have a strong brand vision, you can think about designing your retail space. This should reflect your brand values in both appearance and function.

Do you want to create a cool eat-in vibe or a more practical store layout that gets customers in and out as quickly as possible? What are the star items that are going to draw people in and how will you display them? Will there be a self-service element to your bakery? Will it be counter service only, or will you provide table service too?

You also need to think about how your counter staff will access displayed goods and interact with kitchen staff if necessary. Making sure your team has space to move and ensuring good flow will help to maximize their efficiency and cut down on customer wait times.

You also need to think about your customers. Where will they enter and exit to ensure the easy flow of foot traffic? Will they stand around your counter waiting to order? Will there be a designated queue or will they take a number and wait for service? Your answers to questions like these will help direct how you design your retail space.

Set your pricing strategy

Pricing your goods is another critical factor that will contribute to the financial performance of your bakery. It’s a delicate balance between ensuring you cover your costs and building in enough profit while keeping your prices competitive and attractive.

Some market research in your area will help you here. Look at what both low-end, mid-range, and high-end bakeries charge for similar products in surrounding areas and determine where your product offering and quality sits on that spectrum.

Some businesses also build a loss leader into their pricing strategy. This is a popular product you sell at or below cost price to draw customers into your store. The theory goes that once they're in your store to purchase your loss leader they’ll impulse buy other items with a higher profit margin. But be careful. You’ll need to monitor this strategy closely to ensure you’re not losing money.

Equip your bakery kitchen

Once you have a clear business plan, create a brand, and design your retail space, it's time to consider the equipment you need to start producing your products. Like all other aspects of your bakery, the commercial bakery equipment you choose should be built into your business strategy. In other words, bakery equipment should not be an impulse buy. Each piece of machinery you purchase should be part of a carefully crafted plan that aims to provide the production capacity you need to deliver on your business goals. This is how you ensure a good return on investment.

Think of it like this. If a small bakery overspends on high-end equipment that can produce far more than you can sell, then you’ve wasted a big part of your initial investment. It would make more financial sense to save money by buying lower-capacity machinery and using manual labour for some of the steps in your production line.

On the other hand, if a larger bakery underspends on bakery equipment that doesn't keep up with customer demand, then you’re waving goodbye to a slice of your potential profits. In that case, using bakery equipment to automate some of the manual processes, or purchasing higher-capacity machinery would quickly pay for itself with extra profits.

But production capacity isn’t the only thing you need to consider when outfitting your bakery with the right equipment. Here are some other critical factors you should assess when selecting commercial bakery equipment:

Installation considerations

Before you decide on the best larger commercial bakery equipment for your needs, ask about the installation process and how it will be handled. The very first consideration should be whether it will fit through the doors of your venue. Are there steps to go up and down? Is there a door lintel you need to maneuver the bakery equipment over? Are there corners you’ll have to go around or narrow hallways to navigate?

Your bakery equipment should be installed professionally to ensure it operates at its best. Double-check the voltage with an electrician to make sure you can supply enough power for the appliance.

Power supply

Bakery equipment comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes, from countertop units that simply plug into a standard power socket, to large freestanding machines that need to be connected to a much higher power supply so it’s vital to know how much power is available in your venue.

If you’re leasing your store check with your landlord to confirm your electrical service. if you own the store a qualified electrician should be able to confirm what power is available with a quick on-site examination.

Most commercial bakery equipment in Canada requires 208/240-volt single- or triple-phase connections. This power source is much higher than common residential 120-volt plug-and-play outlets. Once you know the power available in your establishment, you'll be able to choose equipment that meets these requirements.

Footprint

As well as designing your retail space for good customer traffic flow, you should ensure your kitchen staff have an ample working area. Large commercial bakery equipment can take up significant floor and/or counter space that can inhibit free movement around your kitchen.

The other issue is the way your commercial bakery equipment will fit into your kitchen. Before you order the largest commercial bakery equipment for your operation, take some measurements to ensure the appliance won’t block thoroughfares, that it can be delivered and installed without too much difficulty, and it isn’t too tall to fit in your kitchen.

For countertop bakery equipment, double-check it's the right length and width to sit safely on your countertop or equipment stand.

Logical placement of your bakery equipment is also important to maximize productivity. Most commercial bakery equipment is designed to automate a particular stage of the production process so creating a step-by-step plan for your production lines that places machinery and manual workstations in a logical order will help considerably when designing your kitchen and purchasing your equipment.

For example, it makes sense to group your dough preparation equipment together and place a dough proofer closer to your commercial bakery ovens so your kitchen staff doesn’t have to transport dough and ingredients across your kitchen floor.

Ventilation and airflow

Commercial bakery ovens and cooking equipment require their own exhaust hoods and ventilation according to both the manufacturer specifications and local building and health code requirements. Other bakery equipment may require its own ventilation but requires good airflow. For example, large dough mixers with powdered ingredients (flour, etc.) will have a particulate airborne matter when loading the machine to produce your goods.

Airflow consideration in this instance is not only about the health of your employees but also about the health and longevity of your commercial bakery equipment because getting flour in the vents of your machine will impact its performance.

Ventilation and airflow also need to be considered in your kitchen design and your equipment selection. Commercial bakery equipment requires open space around their vents which enables the machines to expel hot air and take in cooler air.

If you place the commercial bakery machine vents against walls or against other machines or equipment you may restrict the airflow and cause the machine to overheat. This will likely reduce the lifespan of your equipment, increase breakdowns, and even cause irreparable damage to your expensive commercial bakery equipment.

Fortunately, bakery equipment manufacturers understand that it can be difficult to ensure there is enough open space around your machinery when you’re trying to design a commercial kitchen layout in a limited space. That’s why many manufacturers offer various machine designs and configurations with vents placed in different positions to accommodate a range of placements. Recently more manufacturers have been designing their equipment to work in harmony with one another making it easier to consider the gap or airflow you need for all your equipment in the entire workspace. So it may be worthwhile to invest in one brand when purchasing different types of bakery equipment. You will see examples of this in Section 4 of this guide: Some of the best bakery equipment brands, below.

Installation and training

While some smaller countertop bakery equipment may not require professional installation, larger freestanding machines will. Talk to your commercial restaurant equipment dealer about installation and start-up to find out if they can offer these services for you or if they'll have to arrange this through the manufacturer. Depending on the dealer or manufacturer the technical start-up may be covered as part of the equipment purchase, but installation will always be an additional cost. It's a good idea to ask your provider to break out the costs for any pieces of commercial bakery equipment that you're considering so if you get multiple quotes, you're able to compare apples to apples on a line-by-line basis (equipment, delivery, installation, etc.).

Training is another important consideration when making a large investment in equipment. Most large pieces of equipment will include an initial training session as part of the technical start-up. Additional sessions are sometimes required once your menu is established and your staff is hired. This helps the manufacturer program your equipment specific to the needs of your business and ensure the staff is properly trained on how to use it.

Be sure to inquire about what training is included – and if it's included in the purchase price and if there are additional training sessions available from your dealer or the manufacturer/service agent in your area – when you buy your equipment.

Cleaning

Thorough daily cleaning is part of the standard bakery workload. Ask the supplier to demonstrate the daily cleaning protocols for the machines you’re considering.

Look for ease of access. Do you need to remove panels or disassemble the machine for regular cleaning? Bear in mind this will take your team more time to get through their cleaning tasks. That means more money out of your pocket so you might want to consider equipment that doesn't require this extra step.

Ask about any cleaning chemicals or other products that may be required to keep your machine clean and running smoothly. These should be readily available and reasonably priced to keep your costs down.

Maintenance and service

Your commercial bakery equipment will require regular maintenance and service.

Ask your supplier about what maintenance your staff can do on the equipment you're considering buying. For example, you may need to change air filters or other components at scheduled intervals. Make sure any DIY maintenance doesn’t require significant disassembly and that parts like air filters are easy to order, reasonably priced, and can be easily stored on your premises.

More complex bakery equipment will probably require professional service calls. Not all machine manufacturers or suppliers have in-house technicians, so make sure there is a network of service technicians available in your area. Also, consider the cost and frequency of scheduled service calls when you’re assessing return on investment.

Insurance, warranty, repairs, and cost of parts

Your commercial bakery equipment should be covered under your overall business insurance for incidents like theft or accidental damage. Make sure your bakery equipment is itemized on your policy so you can make a claim based on its true value.

A warranty on a new machine is essential. If you buy new, you will most likely have a 12-month warranty on parts but not on labour. Make sure you're clear on the warranty before you buy; if there isn't one, consider this a red flag.

Talk to your dealer about the service and repair schedule they recommend. Be sure to base it on the volume you intend to see coming through your venue. At high volume, your commercial bakery equipment is likely to need attention more often.

Ideally, there will be a service and repair specialist nearby who you can call on in an emergency. If not, this could influence your decision about choosing the best bakery equipment to buy. After all, how much income would you lose if your bakery equipment is out of action for a few hours, a day, or more?

And remember, when you buy commercial bakery equipment, the cost and availability of parts will factor into your ongoing expenses. A premium machine may have parts that are more expensive to replace, repair, or even source.

Licenses and permits

If you’re opening a new bakery, you may require certain licenses and permits to comply with food service regulations in your province and municipality. It's important when looking at your location to make sure it can be used for a commercial bakery or restaurant. And keep in mind that there may be fees involved.

Recruiting staff

It’s important to realize that you can’t do it alone. You’ll need to bring in some employees to help you run your bakery and this will also require careful thought.

The rule of thumb is to bring in people who complement your expertise and fill your skills gap. For example, if you’re going to work as a hands-on head baker you might consider hiring a store manager to look after front-of-house issues, shift staff, and someone to handle payroll. Or if you’re planning to take on a more managerial role you might need to hire extra kitchen help.

How you’ve equipped your kitchen and designed your production flow will guide or dictate the number of people you'll need for each process and the skillset required. That is, if you’ve used bakery equipment like dough sheeters and moulders to automate steps in your production line, you’ll likely need fewer kitchen employees to reach your production capacity. On the other hand, if you’ve limited your bakery equipment to the bare minimum, you’ll probably need to have more people working your manual stations to pick up the slack.

2. Types of bakery equipment

Commercial bakery equipment essentially aims to automate certain steps in your kitchen process to reduce manual labour and boost your production capacity.

While the largest commercial bakeries may automate every step in their production line with a full suite of machinery, smaller bakeries can combine machinery with manual workstations. This will automate some steps in the baking process while keeping other steps hands-on. The key is to determine how much of your process you need to automate and what steps to automate.

To answer that question, you’ll need to carefully consider how each piece of machinery will impact your production capacity, and how much production capacity you’ll need to meet customer demand. All of this, of course, will need to be within your budget considerations, e.g., is it cost-effective to buy machinery and automate immediately or have employees do most of the jobs manually until you can run the cost-benefit analysis on mechanical versus manual.

Over time you may find the need to add more pieces of equipment or fully automate a process from start to finish as your business increases. In other words, start small and add bakery equipment to expand your production capacity as your customer demand grows.

Here's a list of the most popular types of commercial bakery equipment.

Ovens

Commercial bakery ovens

Your commercial oven will be the centrepiece of your bakery kitchen. It must be a reliable workhorse that can handle heavy daily use while ensuring even and consistent heat distribution.

There are many types of commercial ovens for sale and it’s important not to rush into a purchase. Your commercial oven will have an impact on the quality and consistency of your baked products. They are also relatively large pieces of equipment and will occupy valuable kitchen space. And a commercial oven can even influence the flavour, texture, and appearance of your end product.

For these reasons, it’s critical to understand which type of commercial oven best suits your needs. Here are some popular options to consider:

Commercial convection oven

A commercial convection oven will be a reliable multi-purpose piece of equipment in your bakery kitchen. Depending on the brand you choose they tend to be the most affordable type of bakery oven and are great for baking a range of products.

Convection ovens use internal fans to circulate hot air evenly through the oven interior eliminating hot spots in the oven where one area of the oven might be a few degrees warmer than another. This helps to ensure consistent heat distribution resulting in baked goods that are evenly cooked.

This is a great choice when you need to turn out a high volume of baked goods with easily repeatable results over time. Convection ovens also have a shorter cooking time than other ovens which is great news for busy, volume-based bakery businesses.

Commercial deck oven

Gas or electric commercial deck ovens are the most popular alternative to convection ovens. A commercial bakery deck uses a different style in the baking process than a convection oven.

Deck ovens also use a stone deck cooking surface like a wood-fired oven, ensuring even heat distribution and producing a product with an artisanal feel because it's also cooked on stone, but these are powered with gas or electricity.

The greatest benefit of a commercial deck oven is that it maintains an even cooking temperature throughout the whole oven (no hot spots). The end product is much more consistent than wood-fired ovens but productivity may be lower than a conveyor oven (see below).

Similar to convection ovens, deck ovens have the option of being stackable so you can have multiple decks working at the same time, and each one can be set to a different temperature. You can purchase a single deck oven with legs, but they're also sold as double or multiple deck ovens, and many have the option of adding decks later with stacking kits.

One thing to consider is that deck ovens are larger and more expensive than convection ovens.

Commercial combi oven

Commercial combi ovens (combination cooking ovens) are designed as an all-in-one solution. Combi ovens are extremely versatile because they can be used as a conventional cooking oven, convection oven, and steam cooking or, as the name suggests, a combination of any or all three.

Combi ovens produce superior oven spring. Oven spring is when steam is applied to the initial stages of bread baking allowing the dough to continue to proof for the first 8 or 10 minutes in the oven. While convection ovens are great for even heat distribution, they tend to produce dry heat that limits oven spring. By introducing steam into the baking environment combi ovens inject more moisture producing a better oven spring. They are also great for baking pastries because their versatility allows for different types of pastries to be cooked using conventional heat, convection heat, steam, or a combination of all of these.

Many combi ovens also have adjustable moisture settings. This gives bakers precise control not only over the temperature of the bake — like convection ovens — but also over the level of moisture used in the cooking. This also helps to achieve and consistently reproduce the exact level of oven spring you’re looking for.

Combi ovens come in full size, two-third size, and half-size configurations so they're smaller than most convection ovens making them a great option for smaller kitchen spaces.

Commercial combi ovens are significantly more expensive than convection ovens and require both water and drainage hook-ups.

Commercial wood-fired oven

For a true artisanal feel to your bakery, a wood-fired bread oven will allow you to showcase the superior skill and quality of your product.

A commercial wood-fired oven is exactly as the name explains. Typically made from brick or clay stones, and sometimes referred to as a clay oven, these use wood or natural charcoal as their main fuel sources rather than gas or electricity. Newer styles may have the option of being a gas and wood hybrid. These ovens tend to be much larger than other types of commercial ovens, and also require specific ventilation, depending on your jurisdiction.

Wood-fired ovens reach and cook at much higher temperatures and, therefore, require a level of expertise that’s different from traditional gas or electric ovens.

Wood-fired clay ovens are dome-shaped and made of stone or brick on the outside. Because wood or coals are used the oven must be fired up at the beginning of the shift. The fire or charcoal needs to be maintained throughout the day to keep it at the temperature required for the goods you'll be producing.

The oven creates heat in three ways:

Reflected heat that happens from the coals or wood hitting the dome and stone on the bottom,
The convection effect because the fuel source is in one area of the oven and heat rises causing hot air to swirl around the cooking space,
Conductive heat where you put the product you're baking directly on the stone itself.

Wood-fired ovens produce a different product from gas or electric ovens. They char and flavour the baked good in a unique way because you’re cooking with wood. The wood type itself can be changed up using various kinds of hardwood to create different flavours.

Wood-fired ovens are a more authentic and rustic method of baking bread and a growing trend throughout the world, especially in Canada, as many consumers are looking for this type of product.

Another difference between wood-fired and other ovens is the cooking time. The heat is much higher radiant or reflective convection or conductive, so baked goods may take a much shorter length of time to be produced than with other types of ovens. The result is dough cooked to a perfect texture – crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The best wood for a wood-fired oven is hardwood because it burns cleaner and longer than softwoods and using hardwood will generate more heat. Talk to your vendor for recommendations.

To operate a wood-fired oven you’ll need enough wood for an entire shift (around 30 to 40 pounds of wood per hour) no matter how much you plan to bake. This depends on the type of wood, the type of oven, the shape of the oven, and its size.

Wood-fired ovens must be installed by a professional who will build the base, render it, cure it, paint or tile it, and install the flue. You can order kits, but they are complicated and time-consuming to put together if you don't have experience.

Inside your kitchen, you’ll need the right flue/chimney to direct the resulting smoke away from your cooking space. You’ll also need to take responsibility for keeping this clean and safe. It also must work in conjunction with the proper ventilation system according to your local region or municipality rules.

A wood-fired oven is esthetically pleasing and works well in an open concept kitchen because it can be used as a focal point for your bakery, restaurant, or café and customers will enjoy watching freshly baked goods come out of an actual oven with fire inside.

One important thing to note is that the wood-fired oven can't produce the same volume of bread or baked goods as other types of ovens might, and it takes up more space than most other ovens.

Commercial rotating rack oven

Rotating rack ovens are one of the largest and most versatile options for a commercial bakery kitchen.

They are usually convection-style ovens, although some brands may have a steam feature that essentially turns it into a combi oven. The baking process begins with the raw product, pastries, and bread dough placed on baking trays. Those trays go into the large rack located inside the oven. The large rack starts to rotate ensuring even product baking. The rack rotation eliminates ‘hot spots’ found in other ovens that can cause large batches of product to bake unevenly.

Some rotating rack ovens feature compatible proofers. That means you can load your rack up with dough and roll it into the proofer. When it’s ready, you can roll the rack directly from the proofer and into the rack oven. This speeds up the process and removes a manual step as you don’t have to individually load trays of product between the proofer and oven.

Keep in mind that these are large, big-ticket items. They’ll take up a lot of space in your kitchen and can cost you well over $30,000, so you’ll want to ensure you have customer demand and production capacity to keep your oven full and operating to give you a good return on your investment.

Conveyor ovens

A commercial conveyor oven uses a stainless-steel belt to pull product through the cooking area. The difference between a standard commercial conveyor oven and a commercial impinger conveyor oven is that a standard conveyor has a heat source only at the top whereas an impinger conveyor oven has a heat source on both the top and bottom of the conveyor belt.

This type of oven is ideal as it delivers a consistently cooked product without the need for a skilled operator. It can be heated up and ready to go within minutes and will allow for maximum production volume.

Newer models of commercial conveyor ovens have all the bells and whistles. This includes precise temperature control, insulation to prevent burns, easy-open doors, and features like dual chambers allowing you to cook a large or small quantity at a time. There are also eco-friendly benefits that help you minimize energy use. Some gas and electric conveyor ovens mimic the airflow of a wood-fired oven to help produce a more authentic artisanal feel to the end product.

Revolution or revolving tray ovens

Revolution, or revolving tray ovens, are large-capacity ovens. These use trays that revolve around a central point like a Ferris wheel. You can load and unload each tray one at a time through the front of the oven. The trays rotate in the oven while items are cooking ensuring evenly baked consistent product.

Although these ovens can produce a large capacity of goods they do come in different sizes. Grocery stores and restaurants may use a smaller footprint size oven that would have hybrid features like steam and/or convection so the smaller venues can take advantage of the style of oven and technology. Larger hotels and/or commercial bakeries may have the largest size and footprint revolving tray oven with shelves that have a width of 98 inches or more.

This style of oven is very versatile in the types of products that can be produced using them. In addition to baked goods, they can also be used to roast or cook any product (e.g., a hip of beef). They can produce a very high volume of goods in a day and can run 24 hours a day with very little downtime or maintenance.

High-speed ovens

High-speed ovens (sometimes called rapid cook or high-speed hybrid ovens) are a newer type of oven developed and introduced to the market in the last 10 to 15 years. These ovens have a much smaller footprint than traditional bakery ovens and are mainly used in cafés, small bakeshops, sandwich shops, grocery stores, and commissaries.

These ovens are very versatile and can be used to prepare different types of baked goods and other foods. This versatility comes from the different heating elements that can be configured in the oven. Units come with a combination of your choice between impingement, microwave, convection, steam, and radiant heating sources. Depending on the type of goods you're looking to produce and/or heat up to serve, you can choose a combination of any or all these heat sources for your unit.

For smaller bakeshops and cafés this versatility is a huge bonus because you can proof and partially cook your baked goods in the morning and then complete the baking or cooking process once the customer has decided how they'd like it prepared. For example, in a sandwich shop, you could make small baguettes or panini-style bread earlier in the day using a steam and impingement heat source and then, during service, change over to impingement only and use a panini tray or grill plate to finish off the sandwich that's being served.

Commercial dough sheeter

With any business time is money. When you’re running a bakery, the more you can produce each day the more you're able to sell and the higher your potential profit margin. So, it may make sense to automate some of the time-consuming manual processes. That’s where a commercial dough sheeter — also known as a commercial dough roller — comes in. It takes all the effort out of manually kneading and rolling the dough.

Dough sheeting machines operate differently depending on the brand you choose however the general action uses a series of automatic rollers to flatten and stretch the dough. This creates an automated kneading process developing the gluten proteins in the dough. You can create specific textures for your products by varying the type of flour, the amount of liquid or fat being used, and the number of times it's passed through the rollers.

Once the dough has been kneaded to the consistency you want, the rollers can be adjusted and you can use the machine in place of a rolling pin to flatten and smooth the dough to a consistent thickness.

You can also use a commercial dough sheeter to create layered doughs like those used to make puff pastry or croissants. Some dough sheeters can also be used to process fondant, helpful if you’re in the cake-making business.

As well as saving significant time and labour, a commercial dough sheeter will also help you to achieve consistent dough size and thickness without all the elbow grease. This, in turn, will help you standardize your baking process and ensure all your goods bake evenly and consistently come out at the same size and shape.

Dough sheeters come in various sizes and configurations from table top to floor models. You’ll want to make sure the size of the sheeter matches the overall production capacity you expect to achieve.

Commercial dough proofer

A commercial dough proofing cabinet is a nice addition to any bakery. When processing dough the proofing stage is critical to producing specific types of baked goods but without a proofing unit ensuring the right conditions consistently can be tough. Commercial dough proofing cabinets are designed to maintain the perfect warm temperature and humidity level needed for the dough to rise effectively.

Commercial dough proofers feature temperature and humidity controls to suit a wide range of dough types. These commercial dough proofers are available in a variety of sizes including countertop, under-counter, and floor models.

Different interior configurations are available depending on the manufacturer and model you choose. When deciding on your interior consider the pans, baskets, or vessels you'll be using to proof your products.

Various door types and designs are available. Cabinets with solid doors tend to be more energy-efficient and cost less, but glass doors let you check on the progress of your dough as it rises without having to open the door and lose the heat or humidity. Half or split-door models offer an opportunity to take some product out of the cabinet without disturbing all the products inside but are more expensive than full-door models. Full door models offer the advantage of allowing access to the entire cabinet.

Commercial planetary mixer

These all-purpose mixers are a must-have for any bakery because they're designed for a range of purposes including whipping, mixing, beating, and kneading. They're available in floor, stand, and countertop configurations.

All commercial planetary mixers feature different speed settings so you can use them for mixing cake batter, beating eggs, kneading dough, and blending or creaming any product. A commercial planetary mixer features a fixed, non-rotating bowl and can accommodate a range of attachments for versatile use.

Commercial planetary mixers are not an alternative to a spiral mixer (see below) because spiral mixers are specific to bread doughs whereas planetary mixers are multifaceted. Planetary mixers can be an effective companion piece to a spiral mixer in larger bread bakeries as they will fulfill the role of an all-in-one mixer.

Commercial spiral mixer

Available in floor, stand, and countertop configurations, a commercial spiral mixer is a great time saver specifically in a bread bakery. Spiral mixers are great for larger bakeries as they develop stronger gluten structures in bread dough while saving you time and effort compared to other types of mixers or a manual method.

Commercial spiral mixers have a rotating spiral hook (also called a dough or bread hook) paired with a rotating bowl that replicates hand kneading and rolling methods. Spiral mixers are specifically designed to mix bread-type doughs. These mixers work the dough quicker than other mixers because of the dual action of the hook and bowl rotation that replicates both kneading and rolling.

Commercial spiral mixers are especially useful if you’re working with high hydration doughs like sourdough, although most spiral mixers are designed to handle all dough types so are quite versatile and can be used across your bakery kitchen.

Keep in mind that most spiral mixers don't come with interchangeable attachments for other functions (e.g., paddle or whisk). While they're excellent dough mixers they aren't intended for other purposes, though some brands do offer other attachments allowing this mixer to work in a multi-function bakery. Speak to your commercial equipment dealer to find out which brand would be best for your application.

Commercial dough moulder

Also known as a dough rounder, but not to be confused with a commercial dough sheeter, commercial dough moulders form different types of bread and pastry doughs into the shapes needed for whatever product is being produced. Most processes start with the dough being fed into a sheeter that uses rollers to apply force and create a piece of flattened sheet that can then be fed into a commercial dough moulder.

The moulder takes the flat dough sheet and forms it into the required shape and structure. Most commercial dough moulders can form dough sheets into a variety of shapes making this a time saver in large commercial bread bakeries (because they are specific to bread and pastry dough).

A dough moulder automates the dough shaping step in the bread-making process. But, like most other commercial bakery equipment featured here, this is a very specialized piece of machinery and can be expensive.

Commercial bakery dough divider

Uniformity is key to what your finished product looks like and ensures your costing and profit margins stay accurate on every batch produced. But manually dividing dough to achieve the same size and weight can be difficult and time-consuming to achieve.

Commercial dough dividers, also known as bun dividers, save time and effort because they produce uniform dough shapes that can be used to make a wide range of baked products from various sizes and shaped rolls to bread loaves.

All bakery bun dividers aren't created equal. Some dough types can withstand more handling than others so to get the best bang for your buck you’ll want to find a divider with adjustable compression ensuring it can handle a range of dough types.

Commercial bakery bun dividers can run you well over $10,000 so you’ll want to make sure you’re producing at a volume to make it worth the investment.

Commercial bread slicer

If you’re planning on selling a high volume of sliced bread loaves in your bakery then a commercial bread slicer is a must.

These workhorses can slice their way through a huge volume of standard-sized bread loaves and some come with automatic baggers that make your sliced loaves shelf-ready with little time or effort required.

These come in bench-top and freestanding models so think about the floor space you have available and the volume of sliced bread you require to decide on what will work best for you. It’s also worth noting that some bread slicers cut bread at a single fixed thickness while others feature adjustable thickness settings.

If you’re running a smaller bakery, you may be better off saving money with a manual bread slicer. These usually feature a side lever that you pull to activate the cutting blades. They're also less expensive to buy, run, and maintain than an automatic alternative.

Commercial bakery tables and racks

While baker’s tables and racks may not be as glamorous as the other bakery equipment featured in this guide, they are essential for the operation of all bakeries — small and large.

Stainless steel baker’s tables provide a sanitary surface for dough preparation and are easy to clean. Look for heavy-duty construction that will stand up to daily use. Tables with lockable castor wheels can be a great option if you want to keep some flexibility in the layout of your bakery kitchen.

Oven racks made of stainless steel or aluminum with durable castor wheels are ideal for transporting full- or half-sized sheet pans between your preparation space, oven, and other commercial bakery equipment.

Commercial display refrigeration

If your bakery is meant to be a business-to-consumer (B2C) operation, in addition to cold storage in your bakery kitchen, you’ll need a commercial display fridge for the retail area.

Countertop display fridges are great to show off impulse items at point-of-sale areas while larger free-standing glass cabinets can also offer the versatility to be used as a functional counter. You can refer to the Silver Chef refrigeration guide for more details and options.

3. Used commercial bakery equipment versus commercial bakery equipment?

It can make sense to save money so used commercial bakery equipment is an option for your new venue's kitchen.

Browse SilverChef’s Certified Used range of equipment which is often less than 18 months old and comes with a warranty. Our Certified Used range can also be rented through our Rent-Try-Buy® finance product program allowing you to see how the equipment fits with your business before deciding whether to purchase it.

4. Some of the best bakery equipment brands

If you’re looking to purchase the best commercial bakery equipment for your operation, you’ll need to go through a restaurant equipment dealer. Here are some of the top brands and companies with products available in Canada, along with the types of commercial bakery equipment they sell.

Note: Information on these brands and products come from the company’s website or published information. Lists of company products may change. Be sure to do your research on what to consider when purchasing bakery equipment.

Proofers, Sheeters, Dividers, Mixers, and Moulders

Bakemax

Bakemax has been providing the foodservice industry with brands in the bakery category for over 30 years and has several products and lines.
Their Dough Sheeters come in several models. The countertop and floor model reversible series both work well for sheeting and stretching donut dough, croissants, cookie dough, pie crusts, and more. The single-pass countertop sheeter has two non-stick synthetic rollers. The 15.75" double pass dough sheeter is a two-stage machine and can make up to 400 sheets per hour. Their two-stage 20" dough sheeter can sheet up to 600 pieces.

Planetary Mixers range from 7 to 120 quarts. With so many different sizes these mixers can handle a variety of dough and other food applications.
Bakemax Spiral Mixers are made for mixing heavy dough (e.g., pizzas and bagels). They appear to have all the bells and whistles including automatic shutoff when the safety guard is lifted, timers that control the mixing time, reverse rotating bowls, and more.

Bakemax has plenty of Dough Moulders and Dividers. The hydraulic floor model divider divides up to 16 kg. of dough into 20 even pieces. The semi-automatic divider rounder easily divides dough for donuts, rolls, and more. The continuous divider is fast and efficient. Their manual option divides dough into 36 equal dough balls between one to four ounces. The countertop dough divider is automatic and easy to clean. It can process up to 500 kg. of dough per hour into 20, 180-gram portions with an optical laser sensor ensuring precise cuts.

The dough ball rounder comes with three interchangeable heads and rounds bread or pizza dough from 1.05 to 10.6 oz. (30 to 300 grams). Their mini dough moulder is perfect for pretzels, knotted dinner rolls, artisan bread, uniform bread loaves, and produces up to 2,000 pieces per hour. They also have a French bread moulder and two dough divider rounder combos in two different sizes – one that processes up to 200 kg. and another that can process up to 400 kg. of dough an hour.

Baxter (Hobart Group)

Baxter proofers' modular design allows you to custom their proofers to your rack capacity and/or space. Their independent air ducts and flash spray system provide consistent moisture for proofing. They have eye-level digital controls with multiple rack timers and a patented airflow system for consistent proofing results.

Carter Hoffmann, Doyon, and Nu-Vu (Middleby Group – Two +)

Carter-Hoffmann, Doyon, and Nu-Vu are all owned by the Middleby Corporation (Canadian Entity Two + is a partnership between WD College and Permul Canada) and run under the same corporate umbrella. These brands cover all aspects of the bakery equipment category and are some of the top bakery brands available.

Carter Hoffman

The budget-friendly Carter Hoffmann Logix 4 Proofing Cabinets are made of sturdy lightweight aluminum with insulation for energy efficiency and they boast humidity in both the proofer and heater modes.

Doyon

Dough Sheeters are available in 12" and 18" two-stage models. Choices depend on how many sheets and sizes you're looking to produce. Reversible sheeters come with casters or in counter-top models with what the company refers to as "unique 20-speed digital control."
Doyon manufacturers roll-in proofers in single, double, and triple door models with various depths.

Planetary Mixers are plentiful at Doyon. From their all-purpose mixer to the heavy-duty mixer, and their belt-driven motor up to 5 HP they have your mixing needs covered.

Their Spiral Mixer line includes 30, 54, 77, 118, 200, 264, and 375-quart mixers. Their website details more about each product.

Dough Moulder, Dough Divider, and Rounders round things out for Doyon. They have manual dividers to semi-automatic and hydraulic divider rounders. Their dough moulder that molds portion sizes from 1.75 to 42.4 ounces that can shape baguettes, regular rolls, as well as hotdog, submarine, and bread rolls, even challah, and French loaves.

Doyon Nu-Vu Proofers round out the Middleby group offerings with their PRO and PROW series. The PRO-8 countertop model has detachable legs and holds eight 18" x 26" sheet pans. The PRO-16 floor model proofer with casters holds up to 16 18" x 26" sheet pans. PROW series with "automist" autofill connection and fan delivers uniform heat and humidity. Like the PRO series, there are two of the same sizes in this proofer line.

Eurodib

Eurodib has an extensive line of imported European planetary and spiral mixers including the Minicooker Thermal mixer for domestic use. The commercial planetary mixers range from a stand 8 to 60-quart models. Spiral mixers range from 20 to 200 quarts.

Faema

Faema's offerings include spiral mixers, dough moulders, and dividers. Faema doesn't follow the traditional equipment dealer model in Canada, opting instead to sell directly to end-users. This may be an issue if you don't know much about the products and need to rely on a supplier for information to help you decide which product best suits your needs. Individual product details and downloadable multi-language brochures are available on their website and some products are available to view at one of their four Ontario showrooms located in the GTA and surrounding areas.

Globe by Middleby Group (Two +)

Globe specializes in planetary and spiral mixers. Globe mixers are one of the top two brands in this category. Their mixers cover a wide range of products and categories. Planetary mixers range from 5-quart countertop to 80-quart floor mixers. Spiral mixers come in 130 and 175-pound models. Their website even has a handy mixer capacity calculator where you can pick your product, enter absorption ratios, batch sizes, and answer a few more questions, and voila, the recommended planetary mixer suggestion appears to match your needs.

Omcan

Omcan has a wide range of kitchen products. All are directly imported from around the world and branded with the Omcan name.
Dough sheeters are available in stainless steel 0.75 HP floor model with 88" conveyor and 0.5 HP 88" conveyor length tabletop.
Their Proofer models include a cabinet that fits 35 18" x 26" pans, one that fits 10 18" x 26" trays, and one with 35 18" x 26" pan capacity.
They have a wide range of planetary mixers with different applications in various sizes from 7 quarts up to 80 quarts.

Somerset

Dough Sheeters
The CDR 600 F dough sheeter is compact and quickly creates 30" wide sheets. This model is also great for fondant, sugar icing, sugar paste creation. The company says this is a good choice for foodservice facilities looking to save money on dough and fondant production and is perfect for specialty baking shops, wedding cakes, and artisan pastry production.

The very compact Somerset CDR 1000 dough sheeter sheets dough up to 10" in diameter and are ideal for cinnamon rolls, yeast-raised donuts, pie crusts, pizza (max 10" (25cm), pasta, fondant, and more.

Somerset's CDR-700 heavy-duty sheeter is perfect for high-volume including pizza, dough lamination and breaking, pastry production, pasta dough, and more.

The CDR -300 sheets 500 to 600 pieces of dough up to 15" (38 cm) wide per hour. It works great for cinnamon rolls, yeast-raised donuts, Pasty production, pie crusts, Danishes, pizza, and pasta.

The CDR-300F 15" (38 cm) tabletop dough and fondant sheeter are touted to "lower production cost no matter the application." This model works well for bakeries and specialty bakery shops, pastry and wedding cake production, and artisan sugar fabrication.

Dough Moulders come in two compact tabletop bread moulders. The CDR 170 makes 30 15" pieces per minute and the CDR-250 makes 30 20" pieces per minute. They're great for bread, challah, buns and rolls, breadsticks, pretzels, and more.

Dough Dividers and Rounders: The SDD 450 dough divider has a standard volume chamber that divides 8-25 oz. (227-708 grams). The SDR-400 dough heavy-duty rounder rounds dough from 1 oz. to over 36 oz. (50 grams to 1 kg.).

Univex (Axom Group)

Univex has a variety of Sheeters including a benchtop and benchtop vertical, plus five-floor models.

Planetary Mixers include a 12 quart, two 20 quarts, one 30 and one 40 quart, three 60 quart, and one 80-quart model.

Spiral Mixers come in several lines. The Green Line offers energy savings of approximately 25 per cent per cycle. They have wheels for easy moving and come in two models. Their Red Line professional-grade mixers are great for bakeries and other industries and kneed small and large quantities of dough.

Waring (Serve Canada)

Waring has three planetary mixers. The 10-quart mixer with a ¾ HP induction motor, the 7-quart mixer has a ½ HP induction motor, and the 20-quart option has a 1 HP induction motor. All are gear-driven with thermal overload protection.

Refrigerators

For a complete list of refrigeration options in Canada, please see the Silverchef Commercial Refrigeration Buyers Guide.

Ovens

There are lots of options for commercial bakery ovens on the market today. The type of oven, brand, and model you decide on will depend on your venue’s needs, the products you'll be creating, and the volume you'll be producing. Here are some brands to consider when buying a commercial bakery oven.

Garland

There are multiple brands under the Garland banner that produce a wide variety of commercial ovens and are well suited for bakeries. They specialize in deck, conveyor, impinger, combi, high speed, and convection ovens. This company has several models to choose from:

Deck Ovens come in the GDP, E, and G series models and boast both traditional stone hearth and 12-gauge steel hearth decks. The GDP 48" and 60" Pyrorock hearths are fully accessible through heavy-duty, full-width doors making the whole cooking deck usable. When open, the oven door lies flush with the oven hearth for easy loading and unloading and the cool-touch door handles provide comfortable and safe operation. Choose one of the many E & G series ovens for operations that require even baking and roasting. The traditional 7" bake oven features stone hearths for the most even bake. The 12" ovens can handle the heaviest roast pans, sheet trays, and loaf pans on a 12-gauge steel hearth with 1,350 square inches of hearth space.

Lincoln brand impinger ovens offer digital and ventless countertop or floor style and are available in gas or electric configurations. The low-profile conveyor oven is stackable to three high for increased baking capacity and flexibility. They offer continuous cook models with air impingement technology that allow for rapid heating, cooking, baking, and food crisping. The front door makes them easy to clean. Lincoln is the most trusted name for conveyor and impingement ovens throughout the pizza-style commercial bakery world.

Convotherm is one of the top-selling combi ovens on the market, combining traditional baking with the principles of a combination oven that uses convection and steam for perfect baked goods every time. A variety of Convotherm’s patented easyTouch technology products offer a full range of features including a high-resolution touch screen with massive amounts of customization and programmable options. The easyDial manual operation ovens allow for all settings and extra functions to be selected and adjusted on one operating level that’s visible. With seven different sizes in both the easyTouch and easyDial designs, it's no wonder why Convotherm is one of the top combi oven brands in the world.

Merrychef eikon® is the only high-speed oven with an optional turntable for even browning and a three-tier cavity for flexible baking and cooking. A single appliance that allows you to quickly move from baking delicate croissants at a high-quality level, quickly heating sandwiches, or cooking a meal, through to batches of breakfast items. The Merrychef allows you to serve hot food on demand at any time of the day and is five times faster than other cooking methods making it ideal for cafes, bars, and bakeries with the added benefit that the easyTouch® icon-driven touchscreen ensures high quality, repeatable results even for untrained staff.

Garland Convection, US Range, and Sunfire brands offer premium quality, top performance, and outstanding value options in the convection oven market. Convection ovens from Garland deliver consistently better baking results throughout the entire cavity due to their innovative air baffling system and the industry’s largest blower wheel. Available in standard and deep single or double-deck configurations and boasting up to 60,000 BTU’s there is a convection oven for everyone in this diverse lineup.

Middleby Group

Middleby is a multi-national conglomerate that prides itself on being in the bakery oven industry for over 125 years. They have several brands that cover all ends of the bakery spectrum, from quick-serve cafés and pizzerias to high-volume commercial/industrial bread and pastry operations. Here are some of their brands and products:

• Bakers Pride Oven Company was founded in The Bronx, New York in the mid-1940s and initiated one of the most dramatic innovations in the history of American cuisine by inventing the modern production pizza oven. Today, Bakers Pride is world-renowned for high-quality commercial baking, cooking, and broiling equipment. They provide a wide selection of quality decks, countertops, and convection ovens, and other cooking equipment to meet the needs of the bakery and foodservice industry worldwide.

• Beech oven's product range is comprehensive and designed for commercial kitchens. It includes stone hearth ovens, wood-fired ovens, gas-fired ovens, electric stone hearth ovens, pizza ovens, duck ovens, tandoors, rotisseries, bread ovens, charcoal ovens, fire pits, and parrilla ovens.

• Blodgett is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial ovens since the company's inception in the late 1800s. Bakeries, restaurants, fast-food chains, hotels, hospitals and other institutions, small businesses, and large corporations alike rely on Blodgett bakery ovens.

• Doyon was established in 1950 by Gustave Doyon. Doyon Equipment started as a sales and repair business for bakery equipment. In the mid-1970s Doyon launched its own line of bakery equipment which included mixers, moulders, proofers, commercial bakery ovens, and more; everything to complete a commercial bakery. Their invention of Jet Air, an exclusive reversible fan system, revolutionized the bakery oven to produce a superior baked product. The addition of rotating racks further enhanced baked products with their Circle Air technology. Some of the latest products include a knock-down, roll-in rack proofer for easy assembly in any bakery. From the small Jet Air JAOP3 oven that can produce 45 baguette pans in 45 minutes, to the large JA28 oven capable of producing 420 per hour, Doyon can design and develop equipment to meet the expanding needs of the commercial bakery market.

• NU-VU Foodservice Systems is the recognized leader in on-premise baking. NU-VU manufactures a wide variety of commercial baking equipment for use in all areas of the foodservice industry, including chain restaurants, supermarkets, and convenience stores. Products include commercial bakery ovens, oven-proofers, proofers, pizza ovens, and even smokers. The X-5 is one of the latest innovations, allowing the operator to proof and bake all in one cavity.

• Southbend is recognized as a global leader in heavy-duty commercial bakery and cooking equipment, with perpetual new equipment innovations in the areas of energy savings, cooking speed, automation, and safety. Southbend products are considered the best in the industry by bakers, chefs, consultants, and industry experts.

• TurboChef is in the high-speed category and is as well known for ventless technology. Their commercial café and bakery ovens range from rapid cook and high-speed conveyor to rapid cook impingement ovens.

Alto Shaam

The full range of products from this company includes combi, multi-cook, cook and hold ovens, blast chillers, merchandisers, and display cases. This diverse range of products was developed to work independently or in conjunction with one another so that bakery and foodservice operators could have complete operating solutions from one trusted source.

Baxter (Hobart Canada)

These ovens turn out evenly baked entrées and perfectly crusty loaves of bread. They’re also known for the kind of steam control that gives bagels a shiny finish and guarantees moist and flavorful turkey. Baxter combines advanced technology with enduring construction in every commercial oven, proofer, water meter, retarder, ingredient bin, carts, and oven racks that they manufacture.

Woodstone

Their line of equipment says it all in their name. These are wood-burning, wood/gas combinations, and gas-fired stone hearth ovens that come in some surprisingly unique and beautiful footprints worthy of front-of-the-house exposure. As well as looking good the company prides itself on high-performance for its commercial bakery, café, and pizza ovens.

Amana Xpress

Amana countertop high-speed ovens come in smaller footprints than you’d expect but have lots of power and flexibility. For example, their XpressChef 4i toasts, grills, bakes, and steams. You can bake large batches and multiple items on demand, from croissants, bagels, and pizza to paninis and more. No training is needed to operate these ovens and with no ventilation required you can set it up virtually anywhere.

Lainox

With 40 years of experience alongside expert bakers and pastry chefs, Lainox has learned that the needs of pastry shops are different than those of a kitchen. With this in mind, they created a line of specific products for bakeries and pastry shops that combines quality, efficiency, and uniformity enhanced by connectivity to the Lainox world through WiFi and Bluetooth.

BakeMax

From deck ovens to mixers and sheeters to pizza warmers, BakeMax’s Bakery & Pizza Equipment has been serving bakeries, pizzerias, and restaurants across North America for over 25 years. They also have specialty electric artisan stone deck ovens designed for high-volume baking. The exterior is stainless steel with a high grade inside the steel chamber. Separate steel decks allow you to add or remove decks based on your needs.

Rational

The top-selling combi oven brand in the world, Rational is on the cutting edge of technology. Humidity, airspeed, and temperature are carefully coordinated and always deliver consistent quality at the press of a button. They're easily operated even by temporary staff because of their intelligence assistant functions that respond to changing requirements dynamically.

Vulcan

Vulcan convection ovens are true workhorses and deliver great results. Models include gas and electric with a host of features and configurations for every commercial foodservice need. With simple intuitive controls, gentle air circulation, and even heat distribution these ovens produce perfectly cooked products and save on operating costs with their energy-efficient recovery system.

Omcan

Omcan's deck and convection ovens come in countertop, conveyor, and other options. The Pyralis electric oven offers high-level performance and efficiency with low operating costs.

Moretti Forni

With products available in over 120 countries, this worldwide top-selling Italian manufactured oven is a leader in the production of static ovens for bakeries, pizzerias, and pastry shops. The wide range of products accommodates the varied and ever-changing needs of the market with high-end technology for eco-smart baking and constant power regulation to match what’s inside the oven. Other options include dual-temperature and energy-saving functions.

5. Questions to ask before you buy bakery equipment

When it comes to purchasing the most appropriate bakery equipment for your operation, you'll find dozens of brands and models for each type of machine. It may seem overwhelming, but if you focus on your needs, it will be easier to make a decision.

As part of your research, speak to other venue owners and reputable dealers/suppliers.

If you’d like independent advice and guidance from a professional don’t hesitate to reach out to the team at SilverChef. We have dedicated industry experts available to support you.

Here are some things you can ask other bakery owners:

What commercial bakery equipment do you use for a specific task and why?
What are your preferred bakery equipment brands?
What was your experience buying bakery equipment?
Have you had any issues with certain brands or equipment suppliers?
How easy is it to clean and maintain your bakery equipment?
Do you have a continuous maintenance program to help keep the equipment running at optimal efficiency?
Do your staff find your commercial bakery equipment easy to use?
If you purchased new or used commercial bakery equipment, why would you recommend going this route and what was the experience like?
What do you feel is a good price to pay for the type of commercial bakery equipment you purchased and why?
Is your service provider reliable when you need their help?
Would you recommend the commercial bakery equipment brands you have to others?

Here are questions to ask your dealer or supplier:

What commercial bakery equipment will suit the needs of my bakery?
Why do you recommend this machine?
What warranty is included?
How easy is it to get parts from the factory if they are needed?
What happens if I need an urgent repair?
What are the costs and availability of repairs on weekends?
Do you provide training for my team and, if so, what type of training is provided?

6. Commercial bakery equipment FAQs

How does commercial bakery equipment work?

This, of course, depends on the type of bakery equipment you’re talking about. There is a wide range of equipment available, and these are each designed to complete a different task in your kitchen production line.

Generally speaking, the first step in your production line is dough preparation. This is where your commercial spiral mixers and commercial planetary mixers come in. They help your kitchen staff appropriately mix ingredients to create the dough.

Then comes dough processing. Depending on the item you’re making, the dough needs to be appropriately kneaded and shaped. A commercial dough sheeter and a commercial dough roller machine are used to automate this process. This will save you time and labour, and also help to achieve more consistent results in dough size, shape, and texture.

You can then use a commercial dough proofer to create the perfect proofing conditions before your dough is taken into your commercial bakery oven.

As previously discussed, you might choose a commercial convection oven, combi oven, deck oven, or even a commercial wood-fired bread oven depending on your needs.

For bread, you might choose to put your baked loaves through a commercial automatic bread slicer or display other baked goods in a commercial display fridge in your retail space.

What type of power supply does commercial bakery equipment use?

This depends on the type of machine and how much you’re using it. The important thing is whether your bakery is equipped with the voltage and amperage necessary for the machinery you're purchasing. If gas is your fuel, knowing whether the supply into your venue is natural gas or propane is important as well.

Contact a certified electrician or gasfitter to understand what your venue has available and the cost associated with setting up more outlets if needed.

How do I clean commercial bakery equipment?

Every piece of equipment is cleaned differently so it's important to read the owner's manual thoroughly and understand what is needed regularly over and above cleaning the ingredient spillage or build up.

Talk to the equipment supplier or manufacturer about this before you purchase the machine.

Does commercial bakery equipment need professional maintenance?

Any equipment you spend significant capital on should be considered as part of a continuous maintenance program. It's best to speak with your service provider or equipment supplier to understand which equipment that requires continuous maintenance and what equipment you can manage on your own.

Again, talk to the equipment supplier or manufacturer about this before you purchase the machine. Most manufacturers will recommend a maintenance schedule for each machine. However, not all equipment suppliers have an in-house team of service technicians. If that’s the case, confirm there's a network of technicians available in your area and their fees.

How do I install bakery equipment?

Except for simple plug-and-play bakery equipment, it’s always best to opt for professional installation by a qualified technician.

Keep in mind that larger machinery may need to be directly hard-wired or plumbed into your power supply. Not following the manufacturer's installation recommendations may void the warranty, damage your expensive machinery, and even put the safety of your staff at risk. Additionally, your business insurance may not cover you for damage incurred if it's not professionally installed.

How much does commercial bakery equipment cost?

The cost of bakery equipment depends on the type and brand of equipment you’re considering. For example, you can pick up a new table top commercial mixer for around $1,500, while a large high-end commercial combi oven can run you upwards of $30,000.

Fortunately, you don’t have to find all that cash up front. Financing options are available that enable you to lease, rent, or pay off expensive bakery equipment over time.

Prefer to dive straight in and start looking at certified used? Shop the range available at SilverChef. If you want to find out more about finance options and rental payments use our Rent-To-Buy calculator.

7. Commercial bakery equipment terminology

Commercial convection oven: This oven uses internal fans to circulate hot air evenly through the oven interior to ensure consistent heat distribution.

Commercial deck oven: A type of oven with stone or ceramic baking decks in each of the ovens that can be stacked and operated independently to create a more precise baking environment in each.

Commercial combi oven: This oven uses a combination of steam and convection heat to bake goods.

Commercial wood-fired bread oven: This traditional oven uses wood fire to achieve different flavour and texture profiles not usually possible in other types of ovens.

Commercial rotating rack oven: These are large ovens that rotate large racks of sheet trays for large batches of evenly baked product.

Commercial conveyor oven: This type of oven has a conveyor belt that pulls the product through a heat source.

Revolving tray oven: These are also called revolution ovens and are large capacity ovens that use trays that revolve around a central point like a Ferris wheel.

High-speed oven: These ovens have a much smaller footprint than other bakery ovens and have a combination of heat sources ranging from impingement, microwave, convection, steam, and radiant heat sources, depending on the configuration purchased.

Commercial dough sheeter: A machine that uses a series of automatic rollers to flatten dough.

Commercial bread proofer: A temperature- and humidity-controlled cabinet that is used to create the ideal environment for proofing bread.

Commercial spiral mixer: An automatic mixer that uses a rotating spiral hook and a rotating bowl to replicate hand kneading and rolling.

Commercial planetary mixer: A versatile automatic mixer that uses different attachments for a range of applications including whipping, mixing, and beating.

Commercial automatic bread slicer: A machine that automatically slices, and in some cases also bags loaves of baked bread.

Commercial dough moulder/rounder: A machine that produces uniform dough balls used to make a wide range of baked products – from bread loaves to rolls – in various shapes and sizes.

Commercial dough divider: A machine that takes the dough and divides it evenly into the size or weight needed for the product being produced.

Thanks for reading our Commercial Bakery Equipment Buyer’s Guide

This guide has provided some important insights into how to set up a bakery and the best bakery equipment you need to get your journey started on the right foot.

Remember to always keep the production capacity you need front of mind. Over-spending on an elaborate kitchen setup you don’t need to fulfil your current customer demand is practically throwing money away.

Start with a few key pieces of bakery equipment then add extra equipment to expand your production capacity as your customer demand grows. This will help you to avoid over-capitalizing on commercial bakery equipment in the early days of your bakery business.

Keep in mind how your bakery equipment will help you deliver on your brand. Investing in something like a commercial wood-fired bread oven may make sense for an artisan bakery selling high-end goods, but a small suburban bakery trading on affordable daily standards may not get a good return on investment on the same piece of bakery equipment.

If you'd like the advice and guidance of a professional don't hesitate to reach out to the team at SilverChef. We have dedicated restaurant and cafe industry experts available to support you.

Prefer to dive straight in and start looking at Certified Used? Shop the range available at SilverChef. If you want to find out more about finance options and rental payments on a commercial freezer, use our Rent-To-Buy calculator.

This Buyer’s Guide was prepared using the expertise provided by Industry’s Best Consulting Canada, an independent consulting firm with over 25 years’ experience. Their team of professionals provides consulting services for every facet of the Foodservice and Hospitality Industry with a particular specialty in the choice and application of commercial restaurant equipment.