Bakery Equipment and uses

Listing of various essential pieces of bakery equipment for small or hotel kitchen is the most important task to do during bakery setup. Without proper bakery equipment and tools the bakery will not be able to produce good product. Hence a knowledge of bakery equipment is very important during any kind of bakery set up.

Baking pans: These are very important bakery equipment mostly aluminium or non-stick and about 2” deep. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Weighing scale: Used to weigh ingredients as well as portioning of products for service.

Measuring jugs: Used for liquid measures.

Measuring cups: are the bakery equipment used for both dry and liquid measures.

Measuring spoons: Used to measure small volumes, especially spices and seasonings.

Candy thermometer: Used to test temperatures of sugar syrups, can read upto 400ºF.

Serrated slicer: A knife with a long flexible blade upto 14” long with a serrated edge, used to cut breads, cake and similar items.

Ball scoop/Parisienne scoop: The blade is a small cup shaped half sphere, used to cut fruits and vegetables into small balls.

Palette knife: A long flexible blade with rounded end, used to spread icing on cakes and mixing or scraping bowls.

Rubber spatula: A broad flexible rubber or plastic tip on a long handle, used to scrape bowls and pans and also in folding of egg foams or whipped cream.

Pie server/gateau slicer: Bakery equipment which is a wedged shape off-set spatula used to cut and lift wedges of cake or pie.

Bench scraper/dough scraper: A broad stiff piece of metal with a wooden handle on one edge, used to cut pieces of dough and to scrape workbenches.

Pastry wheel/cutter: A round rotating blade on a handle used for cutting rolled out doughs and pastry or baked pizza.

Wire whisk/whip: Loops of stainless steel wire fasten to a handle. This bakery equipment are of two types

Heavy whisks are straight/stiff and have relatively few wires. Used for general mixing and beating of heavy liquids.

Balloon whisks or piano wire whisks have many flexible wires used to whip eggs, cream, hollandaise and mixing thinner liquids.

Sieve: Screen type mesh support in a round metal frame used to sift flour and other dry ingredients.

Grater: Four sided metal box with different sized grids, used to shred vegetables, cheese, citrus rinds and other foods.

Zester: Small hand bakery equipment to remove the zest of citrus fruits in thin strips.

Pastry bag and nozzles: Cone shape cloth or plastic bag with open end that can be fitted with nozzles of various shapes and sizes. Used to pipe icing on cakes, desserts, dough etc.

Pastry brush: A soft bristle bakery equipment or a brush, used to coat items with egg wash, glaze etc.

Other bakery equipment:

• Dough sheeter
• Dough divider
• Croissant rolling machine
• Chocolate tempering machine
• Chocolate flaking machine
• Crusher (nuts, praline)
• Hot cabinets
• Tray greaser
• Proofing chambers