Dough Forming Equipment

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Tips & Advice to help you make your decision on Dough Forming Equipment

When we think of dough forming equipment, there are several kinds of equipment that can come to mind. From professional grade, oversized mixing bowls for use in manufacturing and bakeries, to machines that can process the finished dough product into a turnover or empanada, these machines are as varied as the recipes you'll want to put into them.

When selecting the right piece of equipment, you may want to consider asking yourself several questions first. For instance, are you planning to grow your business in the reasonably near future? If so, you may want to consider buying a piece of equipment larger than you think you need at the present time. You may spend a little more money right now, but you'll save yourself having to purchase new equipment when you expand. The best way to figure out if this is a good idea for you is to take a look at the depreciation scale for tax purposes. If you will have completely depreciated the tax benefits of the purchase before your planned expansion, go with the smaller piece of dough forming equipment. If you will still be depreciating the equipment when you plan to upgrade your operation, it may be a good idea to go with the larger machine.

The suppliers and manufacturers listed on the left side of this page offer many kinds of equipment for the formation of dough. Business.com invites you to browse through the providers they've compiled for you when you're searching for your business needs.

Pricing and Costs of Dough Forming Equipment

Time, as the old saying goes, is money, so when it comes to your food business, purchasing automated dough forming equipment should be high on your list of priorities. Much of what can be done by hand can also be done by machine--and in a faster, more productive manner. So as you set up your food business (or strive to make an existing business more profitable), take time to consider the pricing and costs of dough forming equipment.

There are three main pieces of dough forming equipment many food businesses require. Carefully consider which machines your current menu requires, consulting your head baker for his or her opinion on what is needed now and what may be required in the near future. In particular, consider these questions:

1. What is the cost of the sort of industrial dough mixer your business needs?

2. What will a dough divider and rounder run you?

3. What do pizza dough machines, like rollers, cost?

Research dough machine mixers

Commercial mixers come in tabletop, bench and floor models. A tabletop mixer with a 5-quart capacity runs about $300 to $500 new. A small bench mixer (with a 10-quart capacity, for example) runs about $600 to $900 new, and a 25-quart bench mixer is around $2,700 to $3,000. A floor model mixer with a 30-quart capacity costs around $1,500 to $3,000, while one with an 80-quart capacity is about $11,000 to $12,000.
Try: Tundra Specialties has a good selection of commercial dough machine mixers in tabletop, bench and floor varieties. For used mixers at a quarter to nearly half of the cost of new, see Federal Equipment.

Find a dough divider and rounder

There are a wide variety of specialty machines for dividing up and rounding dough for breads and rolls. A small machine designed to round 2- to 42-ounce rounds runs about $7,600 to $10,000. A large rounder and divider that can process about 1,000 pounds per hour costs $20,500 to $35,000.
Try: ACityDiscount has great prices on several types of dough rounders and dividers. For used machines sold for $1,000 to $3,000, see Charney Commercial.

Look into a pizza dough machine

Dough rollers are one of the main pieces of equipment you'll require for your pizzeria. Rollers begin at about $1,400 to $1,900 for a machine that produces 10 dough peels per minute. A medium-sized roller is $3,000 to $4,000 and a large one about $8,000 to $10,000 new.
Try: Pizza Equipment World has a good selection of small to large roller machines and other pizza making equipment. Emiliomiti also has several dough rollers and miscellaneous dough forming equipment.

Whenever possible, save space, time and money by purchasing multi-use equipment. For example, instead of buying a simple dough mixer, choose one with attachments that can complete a number of jobs.