Dough Dividers – Everything You Should Know
Have you wondered how bakers and pastry chefs around the world go about making such delicious dough and loaves of bread? Everyone has wondered the same thing, but now we are going to reveal their biggest secret. They use dough dividing machines, which allow them to create fantastic dough, and that is why their bread and pastries are so delicious. If you want to bake or cook like a professional baker or pastry chef, you may need to get your hands on a dough divider. That is exactly what we are going to be discussing in this article, so you have complete knowledge about dough dividers and how tools like dough conditioners can enhance your baking process.
What is a dough divider?
The dough divider is an essential industrial equipment that is used in the pastry and bakery industry. It is meant to help in rounding up the dough and in assisting volumetric division. There are different types of pastry and bakery doughs, and sifting or rounding them is challenging manual labor. That is the reason why dough dividers are so popular, because they help ease that process with a mechanical system. The system employed by the dough divider is perfect for rounding/winding and cutting. It includes the following key components:
- Press and cutting blades that are found in the upper part of the machine.
- It has an unlock lever that drives it
- The upper structure contains the press, and is moved by a lever. (It presses the dough in position with the reel plates, and prepares it to be cut.
- Reel plates help in proper dough placement
- The dough rounding system is driven with a level that regulates the speed of winding
- There is a press depth tuner included for space and adjusted between the dough and press
- That space needs to be adjusted depending on the desired cutting and type of dough
- Technological procedures are interconnected, which helps operators control the rounding and cutting process.
The best thing about dough dividers is that they are high precision machines with incredibly high productive rates. This makes the job of anyone working with dough that much easier because there is no manual labor involved and there is less mess to deal with afterwards.
Different Types of Dough Dividers
You should also know that there are different types of dough dividers available in the market, and choosing one is solely dependent on the type of dough you are working with. You should always choose the dough divider based on how much work needs to be done and the type of dough or pastry you want to divide and sort. For that purpose, it is recommended that you choose a dough divider that comes with an extended equipment set. This makes it perfect for large and small productive bakeries, and other food units which include:
- Catering industry
- Hospitality industry
- Similar industries
Most dough dividers come with stainless-steel equipment, which is the industry standard. The best thing about the stainless-steel dough divider is that it improves the cutting process as there is no chance of rusting or staining when dividing dough or pastry.Dough dividers have proven to be a revelation for people in the bakery and pastry industry because you don’t have to spend hours winding, rounding, and cutting manually. This piece of equipment handles all of that, leaving you to focus on other important matters. There are quite a few different pieces of equipment that you can use in conjunction with the dough divider. This will allow you to keep higher quality standards, reduce physical efforts, and allow you greater efficiency and more productive performances every time. There are different types of dough divider models available, which can improve the quality of your production.
How to choose the right divider for your dough
There are different types of dough dividers available in the market, and it is imperative that you choose the right dough divider for your dough. This will involve going through and implementing the right process, which should be done as follows:
· Making the right fit
It doesn’t matter what type of dough you are working with, the most important thing is accuracy when it comes to dividing, cutting, and rounding dough. Therefore, you should look for a dough divider that is the right fit. If you are working with high-moisture doughs, you will need to get a dough divider than runs at higher speeds, but that may compromise accuracy.
· Moisture levels are important
When choosing a dough divider, you must ensure that the correlation between accuracy and moisture levels aren’t overlooked. The dough weight accuracy may decrease when there is a lot of moisture in the dough. If you are working with a dough that is rich in moisture, you should opt for regular piston dividers, which are designed to deal with high dough yields.
· Higher weight accuracy
Select a dough divider that offers you with higher weight accuracy at astronomical speeds. There are very few dough dividers out there that can manage this but there are options out there. You want a dough divider where the rounding and dividing systems can be adjusted. This will mean you get greater pressure when dividing, and result in greater weight accuracy with every type of dough.
· Stress-free dividers
There are also dough dividers that don’t place a great deal of stress on the dough, meaning they shape them without forcing them through. The sheets of dough are cut into pieces by weight, which are then measured by cells that are under the conveyer. This system ensures that you can adjust when the divider hits the target. You also get great accuracy with stress-free dividers, because when the dough rests in hopper, trough, or bowl, it will undergo changes every time it is mixed. This will mean that the pieces may not have the same consistency, and may need work, further down the line.
· Check weighing system
You also need to find a dough divider that comes with a check weighing system, which means that you get greater accuracy and can adjust the dough in seconds. This improves weight accuracy, and allows the bakers to not give away products or short change their customer. The machine can quickly adjust, so that you can manage greater scaling accuracy.
· Scaling accuracy
It is imperative that you acquire a dough divider that offers you with outstanding scaling accuracy, since it helps the baker achieve their target. That is where a dough divider that can deliver the tightest weights is such a great asset to have. Sometimes you can get away with scaling accuracy, provided the structure of the dough is consistent. The ability to adjust quickly is invaluable with a dough divider.
· Reliability of performance
One of the main areas of concern you should focus when it comes to dough dividers is that you should ensure that you have greater reliability and performance with them. There are different types of dough dividers with separate functions every single day. You must look at different recipes and then figure out the type of dough you want. This is where a dough divider with precise motion control helps you, because you get controlling and dividing pressure.
· Responsive machinery
It is imperative that you get greater dough consistency and higher output, while the scaling weights should also be highly accurate. That is where highly responsive dough dividing machinery can help, because it will help guide stiff or sticky dough into the chamber. You can also regulate the speed of the dividing process, and optimize the feeding process, along with maintaining the vacuum level without degassing or stressing the dough. You don’t want a dough divider to break down during production or come up with frequent troubleshoot and maintenance issues.
· Greater versatility
Bakers must account for greater versatility when choosing dough dividing machines because they must meet the dividing needs of the future as well. That is why sifter doughs start to move at lower speeds, because they are easier to run, however they need a versatile scaling system. This is meant to ensure that different production speeds are managed for specific types of dough. That is why it is imperative that you choose a dough dividing machine that comes with double-screw technology.
· Matching speeds
It is also important that the dough dividing machines are kept in line with the speed of the production, because the machine is meant to be driven by the recipe. This means that you must account for different variables, which will change from product to product. That is where a dough dividing machine that requires minimal operator intervention is such a great choice.
· Get greater consistency
You must choose dough dividing machines that have better designs, because that improves consistency, and decreases the size of air products in dough. This means that when the dough is delivered from the final mixer and is turned into emulsified dough, you end up getting greater consistency.
The Advantages of Using a Manual Dough Divider Machine
There are a lot of advantages that you gain by using a manual dough divider machine, although for most bakers, manual dough dividers mean extra work. However, there are plenty of advantages that manual dough divider machines offer in the pastry and bakery industries. The biggest advantage that a manual dough dividing machine offers is that it helps in the volumetric division of doughs. It helps create round doughs with a complex mechanical system, which reduces manual labor.The manual dough divider machine is meant for rounding, cutting, or winding of the dough, and includes the following parts:
· Cutting blades
There is a press, which includes cutting blades placed on the top of the machine, especially on the head, and there is an unlock level that is used to drive the system.
· Press lever
The press lever is located on the upper part of the dough dividing machine and helps bring structure to the dough. It is placed between the reel plates, and helps prepare the dough for the cutting process.
· Reel plates
These are incredibly important because they help with the proper placement of the dough.
· Dough rounding system
The dough rounding system is run by the level, which will regulate and monitor the speed of winding that the dough goes through.
· Press depth tuner
The press depth tuner has an important role to play in the dough divider machine, because it helps properly adjust the dough between the press, ensuring that there is no space. It is important to adjust the space, based on the type of dough, and the desired cutting you want for the dough.The dough dividing machine is built in a manner that promotes smooth interconnection between the technological procedures. These are meant to help users easily control different tools that are involved in the cutting and rounding process. These will include the depth tuner, star handle, and press lever.The one thing that you must consider when buying a manual dough dividing machine is that there are various models available in the market. This means that you must always choose between dough dividing machines that are different in their raw material, aesthetic features, and construction. The most common models include the semi-automatic dough dividers, manual dough dividers, and manual semi-automatic dough dividers.There are several advantages and unique features that set the manual dough divider apart from the rest. It is imperative that you make your choice after looking at the advantages, which include:
- They help in saving time and labor.
- They help to deliver uniformly scaled pieces.
- The cutting knives are made of stainless steel.
- The head can be conveniently tilted for cleaning.
- The weight range depends on dough consistency.
- The standard interlock switch helps protect users.
- The twin shaft guides the cutters to divider or split the dough with ease.
- They are extremely durable and work well for several years, requiring only minimum maintenance efforts.
You will find that in most bakeries and pastry shops, the manual dough divider machine is used because it is extremely helpful in slicing and cutting different doughs and buns.