For most bakers, automating specialty bread and roll production requires a combination of creativity and ingenuity.

“We do offer a solution in our PANE line that allows you to produce a full range of rolls: square, rectangle, diamond, triangle, round and even baguettes,” said Bruce Gingrich, vice-president of sales, WP Bakery Group USA. “It is a stress-free line with no waste.”

Moreover, he added, WP’s new “accurator” measures dough weight prior to cutting to adjust the piece size on the fly.

Koenig Bakery Systems prefers a clear understanding about formulation to determine the type of equipment for the process.

“The machines should adjust to a bakery’s dough formulation, not the other way around,” said Rich Breeswine, chief executive officer of Koenig.

Consequently, every system is custom developed using standard components.

“We can adjust numerous parameters to process a customer’s doughs,” he added.

Under the growing portfolio of AMF Bakery Systems, customers can leverage AMF’s Flex extrusion dividing alongside the leading AMF Tromp sheeting technology to produce conventional and specialty bread and rolls on a single line. To create greater product variety on one line, AMF Bakery Systems recently adjusted its Flex extrusion divider and makeup systems to enhance control over the grain structure.

“Adding steam, seeds and splitters also creates more unique products off of a single production line,” said Ken Newsome, c.e.o. of Markel Food Group. “A typical bun line can now supply a wide range of products for the Q.S.R. market providing bakers a higher return on investment.”

However, there are some products that will always require sheeting technology to deliver the proper product characteristics, added Fabiano Malara, vice-president and general manager, AMF Tromp. AMF recognized a trend where Q.S.R.s were asking their roll suppliers to make handheld products that looked like a traditional brioche, ciabatta or baguette but maintained internal characteristics more like regular buns. Mr. Newsome said meeting this demand requires a convergence of technologies where bun and roll suppliers are equipped to supply the full spectrum of products to remain competitive.

AMF’s Unison Line combines an extrusion divider-based Accupan Bun System for high-speed bun production with the AMF Tromp sheeting technology for specialty products.

“Both makeup lines use identical control systems and pan feed systems,” Mr. Newsome pointed out. “Operationally, a baker can switch from one line to the other with a very short changeover window.”

Meanwhile, the Gemini/Werner & Pfleiderer BM series sheeter-moulders and DecoSeeder enrober make multiple products on a single line, noted Ken Johnson, president, Gemini Bakery Equipment. The sheeter heads come with three or four sets of rollers. A specially designed roller release reduces the potential for un-mended seams.

“Each set of rollers has a unique independent speed and gap adjustment, which allows much better control of the dough piece shape prior to moulding,” Mr. Johnson said. “For pan bread or specialty doughs that don’t require sheeting, the sheeter-moulder can be configured with an optional sheeter bypass. That bypass allows soft dough to pass under the sheeter head to the moulding table without compromising the ability to sheet and curl those products which benefit from it.”

Rademaker has developed custom systems for the long prefermentation process before the makeup lines. Nick Magistrelli, vice-president of sales, Rademaker USA, said its low-stress sheeting and makeup tables beginning with its DSS unit produce a plethora of specialty and conventional products.

This article is an excerpt from the November issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on bread, bun and roll tech, click here.