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Bread consumption is once again on the rise, with the market expected to grow annually by 6.80% 1 and reach a worldwide volume of 216.70 bn kg by 2028 2 . The technology to support efficient, automated production of high-end, quality bread is here. The key is gentle dough handling.

+Per capita, bread consumption should be over 24 kg this year, and it is poised for steady growth. Among the categories that entice consumers, artisan-style breads, premium ranges and perennial favorites such as baguettes are popular choices.

Royal KAAK: Baking freestanding bread

The Dutch ‘silo to truck’ solutions manufacturer develops production lines for all kinds of freestanding bread, with a capacity of around 7,500 kg/h, depending on the production process, type of end products and available space. Recently, lines with production volumes ranging from 2,500 to 5,000 kg/h have been frequently requested.

Rolls and boules can be made, from 80 g to 1,000 g, as well as crystal buns with an open structure. Molded products such as (demi-) baguettes and loaves can also be produced with this line, as well as pointed baguettes. When a sheeting line is utilized, ‘die-cut’ products are also an option, with several shapes (e.g.: triangle cut, angled cut, omega cut, hexagonal cut, or octagon cut). The line is not just limited to bread: it can also be used to manufacture pinsa, which, in some cases, should be proofed on peelboards.

The line replicates all the traditional process steps of when the dough was kneaded by hand, proofed in baskets and baked in a stone oven. Delicate operations when forming and handling the dough are key.

KAAK offers bulk fermentation solutions for this line, which support the quality of the end products and help reduce the additives needed.

”A focus point while using peelboards is the correct use of the release agents and flour on peelboards in combination with the type of dough processed. We always carry out internal project tests to optimize it.”

Dough processing and the end products are the central points of a freestanding bread production line designed by KAAK, explains Rens van Heesch, Product Sales Manager, DrieM sheeting lines. This means that the utmost care is given to the gentle handling of the dough, during the volumetric dividing process, or as it goes through dough sheet reduction. Either dough makeup systems can be used (lining up a divider, rounder, proofer and molder), or a sheeting line that is designed especially for bread processing. The standard line configuration features a sheeting line that is suitable to handle highly-hydrated doughs with long fermentation times. The operating principle is that the dough is gently reduced with the help of two multi-rollers.

Bread on peelboards and directly on belts

Highly hydrated doughs are placed on peelboards for processing. Once the dough is deposited on the peelboards, the dough pieces are placed in the KAAK final proofer. After decoration, they are ready for the oven, where a machine ‘peels’ the products from the peelboards and places them on the oven belt. The line cleans the peelboard again and transports it to the start where new dough pieces are prepared for production.

“A focus point while using peelboards is the correct use of the release agents and flour on peelboards in combination with the type of dough processed. We always carry out internal project tests to optimize it,” KAAK highlights.

Even after the dough make-up phase, gentle handling is the main priority for the next process steps; for example, the pieces are carefully removed from peelboards and placed on the oven belt.

For dough dividing, the Dough Master was the equipment selected to be a part of this line. Nigel Morris, global head of technology at KAAK explains why: “This divider guarantees better control of the dough because it is completely servo-driven.” The company recently delivered two freestanding bread lines for rounded and oval molded loaves equipped with this divider.

Many other options are possible to meet the individual needs of the customer, for example top and bottom decoration of the dough piece as well as decoration by guillotine stamping.

New features

KAAK has recently brought new features to the freestanding bread line, making it more flexible and hygienic. “We introduced several new innovations: the robot scoring system is vision-based, which ensures a high degree of accuracy and flexibility in scoring patterns. It is perfectly suitable for multi-product, freestanding bread lines,” KAAK highlights. Different types of cutting tools can be used, depending on the type of dough being processed and the desired cutting pattern.

The rounding unit of the DrieM sheeting line has also been recently upgraded and can now handle 5,350 pieces of dough of up to 850 g. In addition, the soft dough sheeting section has been revised and now provides better access for cleaning, to meet increasing hygiene requirements from the industry and based on the specialists’ field experience.

Process consistency

The line closely controls the process to maintain it under the optimum parameters. For example, standard solutions integrate check weighing into the dough make-up lines. The mixing process is monitored, with temperature sensors that can be placed in several hoppers. This ensures mixing consistency at all times. All temperature and, in some cases, humidity settings for proofing, baking, cooling and freezing are checked and automatically adjusted. The PLC data can be connected with existing MES systems, to share information related to production to the overall data management system. “On request, we also offer the possibility of integrating constant monitoring of the motor amperages,” KAAK specialists explain.

In addition, detection points have been integrated into the sheeting line to automatically control the process. As a result, fewer interventions will be needed from the single operator, required to run the line.

Flexibility: FRITSCH IMPRESSA bread line

FRITSCH will showcase a completely new design of its IMPRESSA bread line at iba this year. The new improvements focused on its hygienic design, as well as making it more compact and more flexible. The IMPRESSA bread can run as much as 9 tons of dough per hour, depending on the product, with various resting times – as long as 24 hours.

”The

centerpieces of our SoftProcessing

technology are the dough sheeter SDS and the satellite head.”

FRITSCH specialists

“With a special sheeting technology (which also includes an improved dough sheeter for soft doughs), not only do we save a lot of space, but we also produce a uniform dough sheet and reduce scrap dough,” FRITSCH highlights. All the components of the line are designed with the new hygienic design; they offer improved accessibility, are easy to clean and are washdown capable. There are different options available to ensure high flexibility when manufacturing a wide range of products. The line’s modular design means it is always configured according to the needs of the individual operation. Various features can be integrated into existing lines, such as decoration units, for example.

For process consistency, FRITSCH equipped the IMPRESSA bread (and all its industrial lines) with a new, output-based line control. How does it work? The operator simply has to enter the number of products he wants to produce per hour and the line calculates all the necessary parameters to achieve this result. “The software even checks whether the desired performance change is feasible quality and reproducible results,” the specialists explain.

Soft processing technology

The modular design of the IMPRESSA bread supports the manufacturing of a wide range of products, either cut, roundmolded, or long-molded shapes. Rye dough or special doughs, for example for Pinsa, can easily be processed. Moreover, strewn products or special decorations are also possible, utilizing the product decoration unit.

The Dough Sheeter SDS on the IMPRESSA bread can process soft doughs with a long pre-proofing time, and it does so very gently and with a minimum amount of oil. FRITSCH explains the principle of the SoftProcessing Technology supporting the process: “The centerpieces of our SoftProcessing technology are the dough sheeter SDS and the satellite head. In the SDS, a sensor monitors the filling level above the two-star rollers. This ensures that there is always a constant level of dough above the star rollers and that no compression of the dough occurs. If dough is needed, it is automatically fed through the conveyor belt. The big advantage of the SDS is that it flours the dough sheet on all sides. For the outer sides of the dough sheet, we use a fold-up belt (FRITSCH patent) which is previously dusted with flour. Flouring the dough sheet on all sides means that there is no need for oil during further processing.”

The SDR then sheets the dough very gently. The satellite head technology produces a consistently uniform dough sheet. Even its edges are homogenous, as no shearing forces and separating agents are used. Stretching and compressing are avoided at transfer points with the use of knife edges.

In addition, drop heights are also either avoided entirely or reduced to a minimum. “This allows even soft and rye dough to be processed reliably,” FRITSCH explains. The use of non-contact dough loop control helps with stress-free dough processing, with the added benefit of high accuracy in shape and weight, over the entire width of the dough sheet. In this way, scrap dough is reduced to a minimum.

And process-control software

Process efficiency can be optimized by integrating the FRITSCH Smart Services. With the ‘Smart Production Insights’ (SPI) service, operators have access to live production updates and ensure complete process transparency. “Production managers or shift supervisors want to have an overview of the most important performance data of the equipment in as close to real-time as possible, even more so in the case of downtimes caused by minor malfunctions, or the maintenance status of the equipment.” FRITSCH explains.

The latest Smart Service FRITSCH developed is the so-called ‘Watchdog’ for the line drives, which constantly measures and analyzes their operating parameters. As soon as the deviation from the empirical value exceeds a certain limit, the production manager receives a warning to check the motor at the next maintenance and, if necessary, to replace it before it breaks down.

A flexible product portfolio

The IMPRESSA bread is most frequently used to manufacture round-molded products with long pre-fermentation times. Many lines are also equipped with a baguette unit for long-molded products. FRITSCH can offer several features that can be integrated into existing lines to further increase the product variety that can be made with them. “Our latest product innovation is for twisted bread rolls, which can now be produced fully automatically, in high volumes, with the new Dough Twisting Unit (DTU) on our IMPRESSA bread,” FRITSCH reveals.

With the Product Decoration Unit (PDU), decoration patterns can be printed or cut into the surface of products, for unique-looking products. The machine can make decorations by pressing or cutting shapes into the dough, not only on round-molded products but also on rectangular and longmolded ones. In addition to molded bread rolls, dough pieces can also be stamped/punched or cut out, then decorated with a pattern. Products of virtually any weight can be processed: a vision system ensures that the desired pattern is always applied exactly in the center of the product.

Automated premium bread lines: Koenig make-up as technology has advanced to allow the retention of dough cell structure and made it easy to process different kinds of dough and perform changeovers. Products were traditionally made by hand can now be automated, while still retaining their artisan character. “When using an elaborate processing line, bakeries can achieve higher weight accuracy, more gentle dough processing and absolutely even density of the dough sheet, when producing artisan bread doughs,” the company’s specialists stress. For example, a dough sheet forming system for various dough types can be incorporated into the line, or the TwinSat double satellite head for the gentle processing of the dough sheet.

‘Artisan’ and ‘premium’ are often used interchangeably when referring to bread. To Koenig, ‘premium’ products are crusty breads, with complex flavor and a chewy crumb. They are the result of long and slow fermentation and processes that cherish the tradition of handcrafted bread, made from scratch without preservatives or enhancers, but with high-quality ingredients, the specialist shares.

Koenig can accommodate any product forming requirements: “We integrate guillotines for cutting breads in different sizes and shapes, including decorative patterns.” Forming stations can also be incorporated in these lines that flatten dough pieces, convoluting them. With subsequent seeding, breads can also be decorated. “We built a large bread line with a long intermediate belt. Along this belt, production staff twisted the bread dough pieces into the company’s typical shape. The customer wanted to have this ‘hand -crafted’ style, so we integrated it. After manual forming, it became a fully automated line again,” Koenig shares an example of a recent setup.

”In transferring artisan knowledge to industrial production, we always look for solutions that make the equipment easier to clean, easier to operate and minimize downtimes.”

For final proofing, the company recommends solutions such as step proofers, rack proofing chambers or tray proofers, ideally fully enclosed by thermo-insulated panels.

The Austrian technology specialist designed its automated bread lines with premium bread ranges in mind – which mostly encompass doughs with long fermentation times and very high water ratio, such as Mediterranean white bread with more than 80% water content, or rye breads containing up to 90% water. These premium bread lines cover all processes from mixing up, to dough processing, product handling, proofing, baking and through to cooling and freezing. Dough processing mostly determines production capacity, which can go as high as 5,000 kg of dough throughput per hour, on setups that use the Menes-H dough sheeting line. Small-pore and large-pore dough can run on this line. For processing and forming of bread doughs, Koenig recommends dough sheeting lines, such as its Menes, designed for this purpose.

Sheeting lines have become a popular solution for dough

For baking, the multi-deck tunnel oven MDI STRATOS with indirect heating is Koenig’s choice for this line, due to its ability to combine modularity, power and control in a compact design. The heat transfer to the product takes place mainly by radiation, but also by contact and natural convection, Koenig explains. The decks are completely independent, which allows the management of different production rates and/or different products to be baked simultaneously. “Each adjustment zone has a dedicated combustion, ventilation and heat exchange system, as well as a set of probes, allowing the independent control of temperature,” Koenig’s specialists explain.

When dealing with long fermentation times, which is often the case for premium breads, a final proofer can help to achieve consistent quality by ensuring constant conditions.

For cooling and freezing, custom spiral solutions from the newly-acquired Finish manufacturer Vulganus are added to the equipment lineup.

Custom-designed, automated processing

When working with bakers to customize a premium bread line, Koenig first aims to learn the artisan handcraft process and then transfer this knowledge to industrial production volumes, without any loss in quality. “This means creating dough processing principles for the most gentle dough handling with regards to the latest trends in bread consumption, e.g. processing bread doughs with long fermentation time, seeds, sprouted grains, etc.,” details the specialist, adding that, “In transferring artisan knowledge to industrial production, we always look for solutions that make the equipment easier to clean, easier to operate and minimize downtimes.”

Automating sensitive bread doughs does not mean the exact same procedure will be used every day. The competence to make small changes, also in automated production, is still a very necessary skill to have, in order to be able to react to a number of variations that may occur. Factors such as temperature, humidity, flour quality, etc. can have an impact on artisan bread production. “In our experience, we find that bakeries sometimes underestimate the effect of these surroundings or have problems with finding the right staff to react to these parameters in the operational business,” Koenig illustrates.

Consistent bread quality

The biggest challenge in processing artisan, premium breads is consistency – regarding dough quality and texture, dough processing, and bread quality, respectively. “Bakeries wanting to scale up their bread production with consistently high quality need to have one thing: a perfect process organization,” Koenig underlines. All the solutions lined up in the premium bread production contribute to increasing the quality of artisan products. By establishing a full process, it is easier to control the production, even if it is scaled up, Koenig points out.

The company shares advice on how to mix and process artisan bread doughs, for consistent results: “Doughs with extensive fermentation time need steady conditions, e.g. by placing the mixing bowls in evenly air-conditioned rooms or chambers. When mixing several batches for use on one processing line, the mixing times need to be coordinated with the floor resting times and the processing times. The floor resting time must be exactly the same for each bowl of dough. We recommend making the batches in a size that can be each processed in approximately 15 minutes on the dough processing line – preferably on a dough sheeting line for bread doughs. This has turned out to be a good referential number.”

Improving equipment features

For new technology developments, Koenig focuses on producing artisan and premium breads and buns with high weight accuracy. For this, scaling systems that are built into the dough sheeting lines play a key role, as they continuously coordinate cutting the dough sheet in the right place, to achieve the right weight.

“We are also working on processing long-fermented doughs in large batches. Scaling up artisan doughs to an industrial level without quality loss was not possible until recent years but today’s technology enables it,” Koenig highlights.

Flexibility remains in high demand, too: “Customers ask for ‘all-in-one’ solutions - one line for all sorts of doughs. The key is to form a homogeneous dough sheet on one line for both soft and large pore doughs. Koenig overcomes this challenge both for the Menes-H line and Artisan SFM EC line with a sophisticated dough sheet forming system, which can be adjusted with rollers and sensors for individual doughs,” the specialists explain.

Koenig has been closely focusing on hygienic design for several years now, to ensure machines stay clear of flour, dust and waste dough, which can all cause machine wear and can even bring bread production to a stop. Allergens and staff safety are also addressed by new equipment features. To meet such industry demands, Koenig developed the wash-down ‘H’ hygienic design series and the ‘Easy clean’ series for easy cleaning and accessibility, which cut cleaning time at least in half, according to their customers, the specialists point out.

Solutions to support the growing preference for high-end, nutritious breads are here, for any production requirements. +++