How to Choose Your Dough Divider - Taibo Bakery Equipment

What is a dough divider?

A dough divider is a specialized device used to segment bulk dough into uniform pieces. This machine not only saves time and effort in dividing and weighing various dough and pastry types but also ensures each dough piece has a consistent shape and weight. The high precision and productivity of a dough divider significantly reduce manual labor, resulting in uniformly baked bread with minimal risk of over or under-baking.

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Additionally, using an automated system to divide dough allows you to focus on perfecting and innovating your dough recipes.

Choosing the Perfect Dough Divider for Your Bakery

With a wide array of dough dividers available in the market, selecting the right one can be challenging. Here are five critical factors to consider:

●Target Size of Dough Pieces

Dough dividers vary in the size range they can manage, some can cut between 5g to 300g while others range from 2g to 800g. Your choice should depend on the types of dough you plan to process. It's essential to consider the weight of all bread and pastries you produce. While a larger range might seem beneficial, it often comes with a higher price tag. If your bakery has a stable product line, opt for a divider that meets your current needs without unnecessary features.

●Dough Moisture Content

The water content in the dough affects the accuracy of the weight. Higher moisture levels may lead to greater weight discrepancies. Sharing your dough recipe with the manufacturer can help them determine if their machine suits your specific dough and even configure the machine accordingly.

●Accuracy of Weight

Weight accuracy is crucial. The mechanism of dough transfer, cutting, and the precision of volumetric or weight detection systems all impact this accuracy. Reliable manufacturers will typically provide ample evidence, such as videos, to demonstrate their machine's weight precision.

●Construction Material

Food safety standards require that materials in contact with food be non-toxic and easy to clean. Stainless steel is highly recommended as it is rust-resistant, durable, and easy to maintain, ensuring long-lasting service life.

●Production Consistency and Flow

If your bakery produces various breads with different weights, ensure the divider allows for easy dough replacement and quick size adjustments. If you use other bakery equipment like a spiral dough mixer or dough rounder, make sure the new divider integrates seamlessly into your production line.

Ultimately, the best dough divider is one that minimizes manual operation requirements.

How a Dough Divider Functions

There are primarily four types of dough dividers, but volumetric and hydraulic dough dividers are the most common. Here’s a brief overview of how these two types function:

A hydraulic dough divider uses a hydraulic power system. Bakers place the dough onto a board, spreading it evenly before closing the lid. The hydraulic system lifts the board towards a cutter, dividing the dough into portions. Although manual intervention is required to place and remove the dough, changing the cutter can modify the shape and number of portions.

Conversely, a volumetric dough divider uses a hopper and a conveyor belt. Dough is fed into the hopper, extruded, and divided based on volume. Some models use a vacuum chamber or photoelectric sensors to determine volume. The dough pieces are then conveyed to the next processing stage. This method ensures high precision and regular-shaped dough pieces, especially beneficial for bakers without automated dough rounders.

Hydraulic Dough Divider	Volumetric Dough Divider
Pre-Division: Place and spread dough manually.	Pre-Division: Load dough into the hopper.
Post-Division: Manually remove dough portions.	Post-Division: Automatic conveyor belt transfer.
Shape: Variable based on the cutter.	Shape: Consistent shapes.
Number of Portions: Varies with cutter.	Number of Portions: Dependent on dough and size.
Weight Accuracy: Low.	Weight Accuracy: High.
Integration: Difficult to integrate with other machines.	Integration: Easy to integrate.

Assessing a Quality Dough Divider

To identify a superior dough divider, consider the following attributes:

●High Precision

A top-tier dough divider boasts high precision, which enhances bakery quality and showcases the manufacturer's expertise.

●Wide Cutting Range

A broad cutting range allows for the production of diverse bread types. Even if your current range is limited, a wide-range cutter offers flexibility for the future.

●Versatility

Choose a divider that handles different dough types and fillings. Versatile dividers that accommodate various recipes are essential for bakery equipment distributors dealing with diverse customer needs.

●Ease of Use, Adjustment, Cleaning, and Maintenance

Machines should streamline operations. A user-friendly dough divider should allow for easy size adjustments, dough replacement, and cleaning. If your bakery uses multiple machines, ensure the dough divider connects seamlessly with existing equipment.

●Material Quality

For optimal food safety and durability, select dividers made from stainless steel. Stainless steel is easier to clean and offers longevity compared to other materials.

Cleaning Your Dough Divider

Cleaning requirements may vary, but two universal steps apply:

Firstly, use a wet cloth and bottle brush to remove flour residue between components. Secondly, eliminate any dough stuck on parts. Dividers like the TBMF3 offer detachable sections for straightforward washing and rinsing, simplifying cleaning and ensuring food safety.

Here's a video demonstrating how to clean our dough divider.

In summary, dough dividers should be easy to clean. For specific cleaning instructions, contact the manufacturer, who will be glad to assist.

katiewessel85@yahoo.com

 

#31931  

Hi all,

Looking to purchase a machine that will just cut dough for me. I don't need it to round. I'm running a 58% hydration pretzel dough. Any suggestions on a simple, low cost machine? We're currently hand scaling and it's a big bottle neck.

Katie Wessel

 

#31932  

I should mention that I would like something automatic! I currently have a rondo semi automatic divider rounder and it takes too long to cut - would like something faster/more automated.

toggle quoted message

Show quoted text

At Apr 23, 2015, 8:39:48 PM, katiewessel85@... [breadbakersguild]<'breadbakersguild@...'> wrote:

Hi all,

Looking to purchase a machine that will just cut dough for me. I don't need it to round. I'm running a 58% hydration pretzel dough. Any suggestions on a simple, low cost machine? We're currently hand scaling and it's a big bottle neck.

Eric Baumgartner

 

#31933  

Hello Katie

On the previous thread about finding bakers, I made the analogy that when selecting equipment one needs to create a job discription and it would be helpful that you do the same. 

Important points include not only the dough type but also the  weight range, how many pieces  per day and per hour.  Dividers are notoriously difficult to choose because of the different formats, weight ranges, cost range, dough stress level, dough formulation, hopper or belt in feed, total output, etc.

Eric Baumgartner

Bloemhof Inc.

toggle quoted message

Show quoted text

From: "Katie Wessel katiewessel85@... [breadbakersguild]" Date: 04-23-2015 9:42 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: breadbakersguild@..., breadbakersguild@...
Subject: RE: [breadbakersguild] Looking for recommendations on a divider machine

 

I should mention that I would like something automatic! I currently have a rondo semi automatic divider rounder and it takes too long to cut - would like something faster/more automated.

At Apr 23, 2015, 8:39:48 PM, katiewessel85@... [breadbakersguild]breadbakersguild@...'> wrote:

Hi all,

Looking to purchase a machine that will just cut dough for me. I don't need it to round. I'm running a 58% hydration pretzel dough. Any suggestions on a simple, low cost machine? We're currently hand scaling and it's a big bottle neck.

Katie Wessel

 

#31934  

Am currently doing about 1,000 pieces per day and would like to see that number rise to 3,000 in the next 6 months. For weight range I'm looking between 2 and 5 ounces (that's the bulk of what I do). Up to 16 oz would be a bonus.

Hi Eric,

toggle quoted message

Show quoted text

At Apr 23, 2015, 10:34:52 PM, Eric Baumgartner eric@... [breadbakersguild]<'breadbakersguild@...'> wrote:

Hello Katie

On the previous thread about finding bakers, I made the analogy that when selecting equipment one needs to create a job discription and it would be helpful that you do the same.

Important points include not only the dough type but also the weight range, how many pieces per day and per hour. Dividers are notoriously difficult to choose because of the different formats, weight ranges, cost range, dough stress level, dough formulation, hopper or belt in feed, total output, etc.

Eric Baumgartner

Bloemhof Inc.

-------- Original message --------
From: "Katie Wessel katiewessel85@... [breadbakersguild]"
Date: 04-23-2015 9:42 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: breadbakersguild@..., breadbakersguild@...
Subject: RE: [breadbakersguild] Looking for recommendations on a divider machine

-------- Original message --------
From: "Katie Wessel katiewessel85@... [breadbakersguild]" Date: 04-23-2015 9:42 PM (GMT-05:00)To: breadbakersguild@..., breadbakersguild@...Subject: RE: [breadbakersguild] Looking for recommendations on a divider machine

Alvaro Duque-Zamora

jim williams

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Dough Divider Rounder. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.