Opening your own bakery is an exciting prospect. Whether you enjoy baking fresh bread and pastries or making decadent cakes and desserts, running your own shop gives you the freedom to make your own rules. Plenty of people who enjoy creating confections will decide to open up their own shop one day, but few realize how much goes into stocking your workspace.
Bakeries are unique in that require many specialty pieces of equipment. Before you start thinking of where your bakery will be located and what prices you can set, you need to consider what equipment you’ll need.
Buying Bakery Equipment
Stocking your bakery with the tools you need for the job can get expensive quickly. You’ll need commercial appliances to be able to produce enough to sell and reach your profit margins. Unfortunately, many people forget about this significant cost and run out of money before they even get started.
Think through what you’ll need for production and consider how you’ll pay for it. Can you buy it out of pocket? Do you need to research equipment financing? There are a few different options out there, so know your options before you start making a wish list.
After you know how you plan to pay, you can start to price some of the following essential bakery equipment.
1.) Oven
Not a small oven like you have at home. For your bakery, you’ll need a commercial-sized oven that can fit an entire sheet pan rack. This allows you to bake more items at a time and keep up with your production needs.
In addition to being expensive, these ovens also take up a lot of space and require special ventilation. You’ll need to ensure your space can support an oven this large and has the appropriate hookups to do so safely.
2.) Proofer
If you plan to make bread or pastries, you’ll need some type of proofing box. Proofers come in a variety of sizes, so you can pick one that meets your needs. There are some that are as just as big as your commercial oven and some that can fit neatly under a workstation.
Ensure that the proofer you choose has different temperature and humidity settings. This will help you better control the proofing process for different products so you know everything will come out perfect.
This is another appliance that needs specific hookups. For example, you’ll have to connect your proofer to a water line to ensure it can create the humidity needed to rise dough.
3.) Mixer
You’ll need some type of commercial mixer and large bowls to make things like icing, fillings or even help you knead dough. These standing mixers can be quite large, so again, you need to ensure your space can support a large mixer.Â
It’s wise to invest in a mixer that has multiple attachments and can do a variety of jobs. This way you can use it for just about anything instead of needing multiple tools. Plus, you can help alleviate some of your initial costs by staggering when you purchase certain attachments.
4.) Storage Containers
Bakeries have lots of dry ingredients that need to be safely stored near the work area. Many bakeries will invest in large storage containers so they have easier access to things like flour, sugar or chocolate chips.
Try to find storage containers that either have wheels or can be loaded onto a small cart so they’re easier to pull over to your workstation when you need to use them. This is easier on your back than moving 50-pound bags of ingredients and helps you keep your bakery cleaner.
5.) Bakeware
Lastly, but most importantly, you need bakeware! Things like cake pans, bread tins, mixing bowls, spatulas and more so you can mix together ingredients and bake them safely. The specific types of bakeware will depend on what type of shop you have, but below are a few items every bakery needs:
- Mini standing mixer
- Large and small mixing bowls
- Liquid measuring cup
- Whisks and mixing spoons
Starting your own bakery is a great way to express your love for baking. Remember to keep the costs of these five types of equipment in mind when planning your startup costs.
