Dough handling systems provide an understated but integral link between mixers and makeup lines. “As dough comes out of the mixing phase, it starts developing and will keep doing so,” Mr. Lemieux observed.
“In any mixing process, the batch sizes, or instantaneous dough throughput, must be well-matched to the line output range to minimize the rest time in the dough processing unit’s receiving hopper,” Mr. Lemieux added. “This is accomplished at the line design stage when all equipment is sized for optimal plant performance. This allows bakers to keep better dough consistency, ensuring better ‘processability’ and uniform end product.”
ABI manufactures a live-bottom chunker that moves dough into pinch conveyors traveling up to the production line’s hopper, Mr. Burke said. Live-bottom discharge from a mixer feeds a removable dough conveyor that can then supply the pinch conveyors, which allow dough to be transferred to a remote divider.
What style of chunker is best? If the dough is slack and flowable, a slide-gate chunker — where the dough drops past a retractable plate — might be preferable, according to Mr. Morabito. For firmer or pliable doughs, a tri-blade or triad chunker — where the blades come together with a cross-section in the shape of a Mercedes automobile logo — is the way to go.
For heavily seeded doughs, Jim Kline, president of the EnSol Group and Baking & Snack contributing editor, suggested leaving a slight gap — maybe just 1/8 in. — at the end of the slide-gate chunker so no inclusions are damaged.
The number of mixers also plays a role in the system’s overall design. “When putting the chunker in front of the mixer, we have to determine if we can install one chunker that travels along a rail to two mixers, or if you want a dedicated chunker in front of each mixer,” Mr. Bartsch explained.
In many cases, mixing times and a line’s capacity determine the dough transfer option. “It all starts with the throughput of the line,” Mr. Bartsch explained. “Based on throughput, we size our cutter diameters. We size our blades. We have different blades for different throughputs. We also have different hopper sizes for various batch sizes coming out of the mixers. We’re not only looking at the chunker but also the mixer’s frame design to accommodate that chunker.”
Read on for tips and tricks for optimizing specialty bread production.
