AMF Bakery Solutions: Thinking all around the pizza box

Thinking all around the pizza box

Pizza and flatbreads. Naan and wraps. Pitas and handheld snacks. This is a generous and exciting product range, with ample space for new innovations. AMF Bakery Systems (AMF) designs complete systems that support all of them, with results matching artisan craft.

+Either sheeted or pressed, dough pieces will go through the line in a closely controlled process. There are several solutions to choose from, starting with complete pizza production systems, which handle pizza balls, pizza bases, and toppings with complete, dedicated lines, and also include baking and freezing equipment. Almost any kind of pizza can be manufactured with these lines, from thin to thick crust, American or Italian style, to vegan, or gluten-free, and higher rim, for example. Both fresh and frozen pizza can be processed, with the latter having the bigger market share worldwide.

AMF’s pizza systems can produce from 2,000 to upwards of 100,000 pizzas per hour, depending on the size of the pizza and the desired working widths of the line. Lex van Houten, Regional Marketing Manager, AMF Bakery Systems, underlines some possible variations: “We are highly flexible with execution to fit the space available in the bakery, which is often an existing factory, but sometimes also a ‘green field’, new location. Variations in products, production volumes, floor space, and future growth are all important elements we consider when designing a new pizza or flatbread production line.” AMF’s solutions for the pizza family of products range from semi-automatic equipment to fully-automated lines. The second category features smart solutions that help with quality control and better accuracy of the line, compared to manual operations.

Any style of pizza can be created and styled on AMF’s dedicated lines, the company says. The AMF Tromp SF Sheeting line can handle pizza dough coming straight out of the mixer, including pre-fermented dough or highlyhydrated types of dough. “Eating cultures around the globe determine what kind of pizza or flatbread a consumer likes best. Europeans like Italian pizza, with stone-baked crust, but also American-style pizza, with a thick base, or even pan-pizza which is a real dinner dish. Asian consumers heat pizza in a microwave as well, so the crust needs to be prepared differently for that. It all depends on the desired end product,” the specialist illustrates.

Always on top: pizza toppings

AMF Tromp pizza topping systems are some of the latest technology developments for this product range at AMF. They are designed to be flexible and very hygienic, which is why they can be easily wheeled away from the line for quick changeovers and cleaning, to keep productivity high. Here, too, we find options: depending on the speed and production volumes, waterfall topping with a recycling system is often used to apply the cheese to the pizza dough.

For more targeted applications (e.g., meat, fish, chicken, or vegetables) centered on the pizza, Tromp’s target applicator is the more efficient choice. A traveling manifold strews the preset amount of topping onto the product, without wasting ingredients, and then moves on to the next pizza base. “It is a sustainable way of decorating pizzas and flatbreads, and the resulting

product is also visually appealing,” van Houten points out. Depending on the types of toppings used, Tromp’s topping lines often have multiple units to support high production rates in bigger factories. Moreover, this application also works well with semi-automated lines; in this case, it will be fed manually by operators.

The dough is the base for great pizza

AMF’s specialty lines can have custombuilt, flexible solutions to prepare all kinds of dough on the bakery’s to-do list.

The sheeting equipment is designed to handle a range of doughs, from green types to pre-fermented, highlyhydrated recipes. “To accomplish this, the sheeting line will create the perfect base. Depending on the end product, we can include a final proofing stage, which is done with our multi-deck belt proofer. Our AMF Den Boer ovens are then used to bake it; optionally, it can come with a stone floor belt, for authentic Italian crust,” he explains. Changeovers can be incorporated on several parts of the line. A line can be set up to run only one product, but, for flexibility, it can work with different types of toppings and/or doughs. AMF’s team of specialists travels all over the world for inspiration, to assess different requirements from pizza and flatbread producers. To perfect the process for a product, trials and demonstrations can be organized at AMF’s Innovation Center in the Netherlands.

To ferment the dough, AMF offers automated or semi-automated solutions. A fully-automated fermentation room will guide the dough trough during the process and gently handle it to prepare the dough for sheeting or extrusion, afterwards. Handling can also be automated: “The bins or troughs can be moved around from mixer to fermentation or dividers with our AGV robot system,” van Houten details. AMF’s product diverter manages the handling and conveying of pizza and flatbread throughout the line. Diverting can be done from multiple lanes into one lane for packaging/ flow-wrapping, or the other way around, from a small sheeting line, creating multiple rows for topping or proofing. “Using the AMF Smart applicator solution, you could even steer ‘bad’ products to a separate line,” he observes.

Proofing solutions for sheeting pizza lines are another option, using a continuous belt proofer or a step proofer for longer fermentation times of the pizza base or dough sheet. The belt proofer is also useful for pita lines.

A Pizzaflex Divider is also incorporated into AMF’s pizza systems. It uses extrusion technology, then rounds the dough pieces to create balls that will become

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pizza bases (but can also become breads and buns).

For baking, a tunnel oven is the most frequent choice. Pizza and flatbread bake for a short time, at high temperatures, something in which Den Boer Multibake HT specializes in (HT stands for high temperature). “You can see the pita, naan, focaccia and pizza rising in the baking tunnel. But, if a pizza needs to be parbaked, prior to topping and freezing it, the oven will create the optimal conditions in this case, too, to deliver perfect products 24/7,” AMF’s specialist explains.

All oven settings and parameter controls are managed by AMF’s Sustainable Oven Service (SOS), a newlydeveloped tool that helps optimize oven production (and resulting products’ quality) in real-time while minimizing energy consumption and the bakery’s environmental impact. Using the latest sensor technology, the SOS continuously monitors oven use and performance. it connects the oven to the AMF Bakery Intelligence cloud for in-depth operation insights. In addition, heat recovery and burner control and also critical features are available to improve baking efficiency and sustainability.

Variety is key

The SOS is among the most frequently requested features, currently. While processing needs may vary from country to country and even more so across continents, AMF sees increasing variety in toppings in general. “We offer a flexible topping line to be able to make quick switches, clean and still maintain high speed and productivity,” he adds. Better-for-you product varieties are also increasingly in demand, including gluten-free, vegan and vegetable base pizza. For these types of dough, AMF also provides sheeting and extrusion lines. Van Houten: “We see great variation in recipes worldwide, with well over 1,000 different gluten-free pizza recipes, so we test and validate them all in our Innovation Center and show manufacturers the best solution for them.”

The pressed pan pizza system features large pans with individual indents per product, to allow more processing time and prevent the pans from hitting against each other. Different pizza sizes can be produced in this way, with a wide range of pans tailored to the working width of the line, to maximize efficiency. A pressed pizza base is usually solid and has less air inside the dough than a stress-free sheeted artisan pizza. There are multiple solutions available for this method, depending on the desired type of product, including hot pressing, cold pressing, or pressing in a pan. AMF usually recommends big pans to increase processing time, in order to avoid loud noises from pans touching, and because they are easy to change/ refurbish. Smart conveying solutions and diverter lines will streamline the process. “We also offer unique depanning equipment; by using them, a pizza is depanned, yet stays perfectly in shape,” he adds. The Tromp Pizza Press Unit is servo operated, allowing complete control of all the movements the press performs. Different movement profiles can be set and used, depending on the specific product characteristics.

In addition to the Pressing Unit, AMF Tromp provides several types of equipment for the pressed pan pizza system, including a pizza finger printer and a pizza docker, for example. “The R&D teams constantly improve our solutions for these units with new and sustainable techniques, as well as features making it easier to switch between units to change the type of products made on the line,” van Houten highlights, so the equipment keeps up with market trends.

In any of these multiple configurations, the workflow is always adapted to the recipe and the product requirements. Almost no two lines delivered by AMF are identical, we learn: some use a fast proofing time, while others opt for products requiring long resting time; mixing and baking times also differ, as well as the ingredients used. Baking can be done on a mesh belt or a stone floor; and the sauce and toppings can be applied in various sequences. Supported by horizontal mixing units, unique solutions are developed by AMF for several famous pizza QSRs worldwide, which top and bake their pizzas locally in each store.