Essential Bakery Equipment List: 20 Items Needed to Start a Bakery

Starting a bakery is an exciting venture, but the key to success lies in having the right equipment. Whether you’re planning to sell your delectable creations online or in a physical store, a well-equipped bakery is essential.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore a list of 20 essential bakery equipment items, delve into the reasons why each is crucial for your business, and provide approximate costs (in USD for 2024) to help you plan your bakery setup effectively.

1. Commercial Oven

Reason: A commercial oven is the heart of any bakery, ensuring that your baked goods are consistently and evenly cooked. With precise temperature control and efficient heat distribution, it’s a versatile tool that accommodates various baking needs, from delicate pastries to hearty bread.

Investing in a reliable commercial oven not only enhances the quality of your creations but also boosts productivity, allowing you to meet the demands of your customers with ease.

Approx. Cost: $5,000 - $15,000

2. Mixer

Reason: Efficiently blending ingredients is a cornerstone of successful baking. A reliable mixer ensures uniform texture in dough and batters, saving you time and effort in the process.

From kneading bread dough to whipping up fluffy cakes, investing in a high-quality mixer equips your bakery with the power and versatility to handle a wide range of recipes. With different speed settings and attachments, you can achieve the perfect consistency for every baked good.

Approx. Cost: $500 - $2,000

3. Dough Sheeter

Reason: Streamline the rolling and stretching of dough with a dough sheeter.

This equipment ensures that your dough achieves the desired thickness consistently, whether you’re making croissants, puff pastry, or pizza dough. With adjustable settings and precise control, a dough sheeter saves you time and effort, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your bakery operations.

Whether you’re a small bakery or a large production facility, investing in a dough sheeter enhances efficiency and consistency in your dough preparation.

Approx. Cost: $2,000 - $5,000

4. Proofing Cabinet

Reason: Creating an optimal environment for dough fermentation is crucial for achieving the perfect rise and texture in your baked goods. A proofing cabinet provides controlled temperature and humidity, allowing yeast to work its magic and develop flavors while ensuring consistent results. Whether you’re proofing bread, pastries, or other dough-based creations, investing in a reliable proofing cabinet enhances the quality and consistency of your final products.

Approx. Cost: $1,500 - $3,000

5. Bakery Display Case

Reason: A bakery display case is not just a storage solution; it’s a showcase for your products, enticing customers and driving sales.

With an attractive and well-organized display, you can highlight your freshly baked goods, tempting customers with their mouthwatering appearance.

Investing in a bakery display case helps maintain the freshness and quality of your products while creating an inviting atmosphere for customers to explore and make their selections.

Approx. Cost: $1,000 - $5,000

6. Baking Sheets and Pans

Reason: Fundamental for baking a variety of items, from cookies to bread, quality baking sheets and pans ensure even baking and prevent sticking.

Investing in durable and non-stick baking sheets and pans not only saves you time and frustration but also helps you achieve consistent results with every batch.

With different sizes and materials available, you can choose the right baking sheets and pans to suit your specific baking needs.

Approx. Cost: $10 - $50 each

7. Cooling Racks

Reason: Cooling racks are essential for allowing your baked goods to cool uniformly, preventing overcooking and maintaining quality. With proper airflow around your creations, cooling racks facilitate the release of excess heat and moisture, preventing sogginess and ensuring a crispy texture when desired. Investing in sturdy and heat-resistant cooling racks improves the overall quality and presentation of your baked goods.

Approx. Cost: $10 - $30 each

8. Commercial Refrigerator

Reason: Preserve ingredient freshness and extend the shelf life of perishable items with a reliable commercial refrigerator. A dedicated commercial refrigerator provides consistent temperature control, ensuring that your ingredients remain in optimal condition for baking.

With ample storage space and adjustable shelves, you can organize your ingredients efficiently and access them easily during the baking process. Investing in a commercial refrigerator enhances food safety and helps you maintain the quality of your baked goods.

Approx. Cost: $2,000 - $5,000

9. Measuring Tools

Reason: Precision in measurements is crucial for consistent and successful baking. Investing in quality measuring tools, such as measuring cups, spoons, and kitchen scales, ensures accurate results and eliminates guesswork.

With precise measurements, you can replicate your recipes precisely, maintaining product consistency and customer satisfaction. Whether you’re a professional baker or a passionate home baker, reliable measuring tools are a must-have in your kitchen.

Approx. Cost: $20 - $100

10. Weighing Scale

Reason: Ensure accurate measurement of ingredients for precise recipes and maintain product consistency with a reliable weighing scale. A digital weighing scale provides precise measurements, allowing you to follow recipes accurately and achieve consistent results.

With different weight capacities and units available, you can choose a weighing scale that suits your specific baking needs. Investing in a reliable weighing scale enhances the accuracy and quality of your baked goods.

Approx. Cost: $50 - $200

11. Bread Slicer

Reason: Streamline the slicing process for bread, enhancing efficiency in production and ensuring uniform slices. A dedicated bread slicer allows you to slice through loaves of bread quickly and evenly, saving you time and effort compared to manual slicing.

With adjustable thickness settings, you can cater to different preferences and create consistent slices for sandwiches, toast, or other bread-based creations. Investing in a bread slicer improves productivity and presentation in your bakery.

Approx. Cost: $500 - $1,500

12. Cake Decorating Tools

Reason: Enhance the visual appeal of your cakes with quality decorating tools, setting your bakery apart and attracting customers.

From piping bags and tips to cake stencils and spatulas, investing in a range of cake decorating tools allows you to unleash your creativity and create stunning designs.

Whether you’re a professional cake decorator or an aspiring home baker, quality decorating tools elevate your cakes to works of art, making them irresistible to customers.

Approx. Cost: $50 - $500

13. Pastry Bags and Tips

Reason: Essential for creating intricate designs on pastries and cakes, pastry bags and tips add a creative touch to your baked goods.

With different sizes and shapes available, you can create beautiful rosettes, swirls, and other decorative elements that elevate the visual appeal of your pastries. Investing in a variety of pastry bags and tips expands your creative possibilities and allows you to offer a wide range of visually stunning treats.

Approx. Cost: $10 - $50

14. Pastry Brush

Reason: Facilitate even distribution of glazes, egg wash, or other coatings on pastries with a quality pastry brush. A pastry brush with soft and flexible bristles helps you apply various finishes to your baked goods smoothly and evenly. Whether you’re adding a shiny glaze to a cake or brushing butter onto croissants, investing in a reliable pastry brush enhances the overall quality and presentation of your pastries.

Approx. Cost: $5 - $20

15. Rolling Pins

Reason: A versatile tool for rolling out dough to various thicknesses, rolling pins are essential for different types of baked goods.

Whether you’re making pie crusts, cookies, or puff pastry, investing in different types of rolling pins, such as traditional wooden pins or non-stick silicone pins, allows you to achieve the desired thickness and texture with ease. With comfortable handles and smooth surfaces, quality rolling pins make the rolling process more efficient and enjoyable.

Approx. Cost: $10 - $30

16. Cake Pans

Reason: Cake pans come in various shapes and sizes, providing versatility for cake production and expanding your product range.

Investing in a selection of cake pans allows you to create different cake designs, from classic round cakes to elaborate multi-tiered creations.

With durable and non-stick coatings, cake pans ensure easy release and even baking, resulting in beautifully shaped cakes every time. Whether you’re a professional cake decorator or a home baker, having a collection of cake pans expands your creativity and offerings.

Approx. Cost: $10 - $50 each

17. Bakery Utensils (spatulas, whisks, etc.)

Reason: Essential for various baking tasks, investing in high-quality bakery utensils ensures efficiency in the kitchen. From spatulas to whisks, investing in durable and ergonomic utensils enhances your baking experience and simplifies your workflow.

With heat-resistant materials and comfortable grips, reliable bakery utensils help you mix, fold, and scrape ingredients with ease, ensuring consistent results in your baked goods.

Approx. Cost: $5 - $20 each

18. Ingredient Bins

Reason: Organize and store bulk ingredients efficiently with ingredient bins, promoting cleanliness and a smooth baking process. With airtight seals and stackable designs, ingredient bins help preserve ingredient freshness and prevent contamination.

By keeping your ingredients organized and easily accessible, you can streamline your baking process, saving time and reducing waste. Investing in ingredient bins enhances the efficiency and hygiene of your bakery operations.

Approx. Cost: $20 - $100

19. Doughnut Fryer

Reason: Efficiently and consistently fry doughnuts, a popular bakery item, with a dedicated doughnut fryer. A doughnut fryer provides precise temperature control and even heat distribution, ensuring golden and evenly cooked doughnuts every time.

With adjustable frying times and capacities, you can handle small batches or high-volume production, meeting customer demand with ease. Investing in a doughnut fryer enhances the efficiency and quality of your doughnut production.

Approx. Cost: $500 - $2,000

20. Digital Thermometer

Reason: One of the key factors in achieving perfect baking results and precise ingredient preparation is accurate temperature control.

By using a reliable digital thermometer, you can ensure that your baked goods and ingredients are at the optimal temperature for the best possible outcome. Whether you’re a professional baker or a home cook, having a digital thermometer in your kitchen arsenal can greatly enhance your cooking experience and help you achieve consistent and delicious results.

Approx. Cost: $10 - $50

Read more: The Bakery Pricing Guide: Dough-n’t Sell Yourself Short

Tracking Your Bakery Equipment Inventory

Efficient bakery management goes beyond producing mouthwatering treats – it involves meticulous tracking of both ingredients and equipment. In this section, we’ll explore why keeping a close eye on your bakery’s inventory is crucial and introduce Craftybase as a powerful software solution to simplify the process, ultimately enhancing your bakery’s overall efficiency.

Why It’s Important to Track Both Ingredients and Equipment

Let’s firstly cover a couple of points about why it’s important to know what you have on hand in your bakery.

1. Preventing Wastage:

Effective inventory management helps prevent unnecessary wastage of both ingredients and equipment. As bakery businesses deal with a lot of materials with use-by dates that need to be adhered to, by knowing exactly what you have in stock, you can minimize the risk of expiration, saving both money and resources.

2. Ensuring Adequate Supplies:

Tracking ingredients ensures that you always have sufficient supplies to meet demand.

Running out of a crucial ingredient can disrupt production and lead to customer dissatisfaction. Similarly, monitoring equipment levels helps you anticipate maintenance needs and avoid unexpected breakdowns.

3. Maintaining Quality Control:

Consistency is key in the baking industry. By meticulously tracking both ingredients and equipment, you can maintain the quality of your products.

This is especially vital for bakeries with signature recipes and distinct flavor profiles.

4. Streamlining Operations:

A well-organized inventory system facilitates smoother day-to-day operations. Knowing where each ingredient and piece of equipment is located reduces time spent searching, allowing your bakery staff to focus on what they do best – creating delicious treats.

5. Planning for Growth:

As your bakery expands, tracking inventory becomes even more critical. Understanding consumption patterns and equipment usage helps you make informed decisions about scaling your business, whether it’s introducing new products or investing in additional equipment.

Craftybase: Your Bakery Inventory Management Solution

Introducing Craftybase – a comprehensive bakery inventory management software designed to simplify the tracking of both ingredients and equipment. Craftybase offers a user-friendly interface and a range of features tailored to the unique needs of small-scale bakeries.

Ingredient Tracking: Craftybase allows you to monitor ingredient levels, set reorder points, and receive alerts when supplies are running low. This ensures you never run out of your essential baking components and you can keep those customers happy.

Equipment Management: Keep tabs on the condition and usage of your bakery equipment. Craftybase provides a centralized platform to log all of your bakery equipment.

Recipe Costing: Easily calculate the cost of each recipe by factoring in ingredient prices and equipment depreciation. Craftybase helps you understand the true cost of production, enabling better pricing strategies.

Sales Tracking: Link your inventory data with sales figures to gain insights into your bakery’s performance. Identify popular products, manage seasonal demand, and make data-driven decisions to maximize profitability.

Ready to Optimize Your Bakery Operations?

Sign up for Craftybase today and take the first step towards streamlined bakery inventory management. With Craftybase, you can focus on perfecting your recipes and delighting customers while leaving the complexities of inventory tracking to the experts.

⭐ Sign up for our completely free (no strings attached!) trial today →

Conclusion

In the dynamic world of baking, where precision and organization are paramount, tracking both ingredients and equipment is the cornerstone of a successful bakery operation. We hope this article has given you some insight on how much it costs to start your bakery and has given you a good understanding of why it’s important to track your bakery inventory - both raw materials and equipment. Happy baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the benefit of using a convection oven in a bakery?

Convection ovens use fans to distribute heat evenly, resulting in baked goods that cook more evenly and quickly. This makes them an efficient choice for bakeries, especially when baking in large quantities.

2. What should I consider when purchasing mixing bowls for my restaurant?

Consider the material, size, and durability of mixing bowls. Bowls should be sturdy and large enough to accommodate your most common recipes. Stainless steel is a popular choice due to its strength and ease of cleaning.

3. Can I use restaurant equipment for a bakery?

Yes, many pieces of restaurant equipment such as ovens, mixers, and pans are also used in bakeries. However, some bakery-specific equipment like proofers and doughnut fryers may need to be added depending on your product range.

4. What is a deck oven and how does it differ from a convection oven?

A deck oven has a stone baking deck that heats up and gives a unique crispness and texture to baked goods. Unlike convection ovens, deck ovens do not use fans to circulate heat but rely on radiation and conduction, making them a preferred choice for certain products like artisanal bread.

5. What types of baking pans are best for a professional bakery?

The choice of baking pans depends on what you plan to bake. For cakes and pastries, non-stick pans are a common choice. For bread and pizzas, you might want to consider stone or cast-iron pans. Always consider the size, material, and durability of the pans before purchasing.