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So, you’re finally starting your pastry business. What an exciting time. As you learn to navigate these turbulent waters, you’ll come across a variety of challenges that you’ll need to overcome. But don’t fret, with the right tools, even the most difficult of challenges can seem like a breeze. And we’re here to make sure you make the most out of the experience.
With that in mind, we need to have a look at all the equipment you’ll need for your pastry-oriented business. Not surprisingly, most of these items revolve around making and preparing the dough. We know, shocker, right? The first thing that comes to mind for most people is commercial dough mixers which allow you to toss and turn all the ingredients until you get the desired consistency. No need to do it all yourself anyway.
But one thing that seems to go over people’s heads is how practical commercial pastry sheeters are. Really though, do you know how hard it is to roll the dough out perfectly until it has a silky smooth surface? Scratch that, not just one piece of dough but numerous pieces of them during the day. Over and over again. You get the picture. Not fun at all. So you just get a machine to do all of that for you instead. Here’s all you need to know.
What Is a Pastry Sheeter?
The name gives it away since pastry sheeters are industrial machines that push the dough between rollers until it reaches the desired level of thickness. In other words, they produce sheets of dough in large quantities. This is particularly convenient for restaurants and bakeries that need to meet the needs of their customers. Instead of having to rush through and roll the dough yourself, which can also be extremely tiring after a while, you just let the roller do its thing.
These kinds of dough sheeters are used to produce various kinds of goods, including pizzas, pies, flatbreads and cakes of all kinds of shapes and sizes. All of this speaks volumes as to how practical and functional these sheeters are which just adds to the list of reasons why you shouldn’t pass up on the opportunity to get one.
How Does a Pastry Sheeter Work?
In short, you put the dough in between the spinning rollers to be compressed. The machine itself can consist of two or more rollers, depending on its size. The more rollers it has, the more pastries you’ll be able to make. Once the dough passes between the rollers, its size is reduced to the right thickness. You can easily adjust the level of thickness using the controls which means there’s lots of room for customisation. And finally, once the dough is flat and smooth, the sheeter can help create its intended shape. For instance, if you’re looking to make pizza, you’ll get the familiar round shape at the end. Pretty cool, right?
All of this goes down in a matter of seconds. If you were to roll the dough yourself, it would probably take a bit longer. Plus you’re likely to tire yourself out after a while. Good thing you won’t be experiencing any of that when you get a dough sheeter, right?
Benefits of Using a Pastry Sheeter
Here’s a list of benefits you should expect when using a pastry sheeter.
Standardised and Efficient Production
The main challenge when making the dough yourself is that there’s lots of room for error. For example, you can have loads of customers complimenting you on your pizza crust one day just to have them complain about it being too thick the next. That’s completely normal and expected since humans can’t do everything perfectly. But see, you won’t come across this issue if you invest in a dough sheeter. By doing this, production is standardised which ensures that all crusts have the same form and texture.
Plus, it’s a lot more efficient since you’ll have the dough ready in just a few minutes. This, in turn, saves you a lot of time and money and it can have a positive impact on your business.
They Can Help Grow Your Business
Once word-of-mouth starts to spread and people start to show their unmasked praise for your baked goods, you’ll be dealing with a steady increase in the number of daily customers. This means that you’ll have to produce more goods to meet the growing demand. No worries though, commercial dough sheeters make expanding your business a breeze.
Cleaning and Maintenance Tips
Taking proper care of your dough sheeter ensures the best results. And getting the best results is crucial for keeping your business afloat.
Most manufacturers include a manual with specific instructions on the best way to care for the particular model you own so you should definitely read up on that beforehand. In general terms though, the first thing you should do is unplug the machine before cleaning it. Once you’ve done that, use a warm cloth to wipe down the rollers and remove excess dough and flour. Make sure you do this every day before closing time to keep everything in order. And there you have it, your dough sheeter is clean and ready for use.
It’s a good idea to coach your staff on the proper way to clean all of your equipment in order to prevent malfunctions. This is directly tied to the safety of everyone involved, including your customers.