I have baked more or less daily for the last year and started to have consistent results at this level.

I am now considering to push this to the next level and start an artisan bakery. 

I am fully aware that jumping from a few loaves a day to a few hundred loaves a day or more is not a walk in the park, but I am trying to figure out as much as I can from what is actually involved.

I am planning on volunteering to an artisan bakery in a town nearby to get first hand experience.

I know that there were other similar threads (for instance this one), but most of them seem to have run out of steam, so I thought of opening a new one, trying to accumulate the information I need and maybe help others that are having similar thoughts go through the process quicker.

I want to start small, by building a separate kitchen in my basement. (I am aware that I need to check with my local Health Department if I can do that)

I am thinking of starting with some specialty breads (whole wheat, rye and sour dough) and maybe some baguettes first and use the local Farmer's Market, that runs a couple days a week, to "get a feel of the market".

I am thinking of a 100-200 loaves/day capacity for starters.

Given the description of the problem above, I have a few questions that I would appreciate your input on at this time (I'll continue to post them as I am going through the process).

1. What would be the minimum size of the mixer I would need?

2. What would be the minimum size of the oven I would need?

3. Do I need a proofer or can I do without one in the beginning?

4. What would you say the minimum space requirements are for the kitchen? (I need to figure out if my basement is big enough)

5. How do you store your flour? Do you keep it in bags?

6. What is better? An electrical or a gas convection oven? (the local restaurant supplier suggested a Blodgett - any suggestions/feedback here are welcome).

7. How would I calculate the power consumption and/or gas consumption of the oven? (need it for the business plan)

8. Is there any reliable formula to calculate the actual cost of one loaf?

9. Is there any reliable formula to calculate the potential loaves/hour output of one's process?

10. What do you do for water? Where do you get it from?

Thanks,

Cristi

This is pretty pathetic, I'll admit...but here I sit, 3:50am on a Saturday morning, watching my starter bubble waiting to make English Muffins. A bit nervous...I've had a 50-50 success rate...first batch was amazing to me, recognized areas of improvement...second batch went in the trash at the grill stage.  I'm new to this realm, but in these economic times, I'm looking for both cost-cutting and fulfilling projects...making my own baked goods saves me scads of cash that my office building's cafeteria will never see. As i browse the site, I try to act like the starter sponge...absorbing knowledge and nutrition slowly.  I love it in here. Now comes the pathetic part.

I was sitting here thinking about buying Peter's books...having the internet as a resource is the best, but sometimes you just like to have something tactile to peruse...pages to dog-ear, highlight and splash flour on. Add to that an unreliable laptop and cable access that seems so frivolous to pay for...the thought occured to me that my sponge development could be halted at any moment. Equally frivolous is the concept of paying $30 for a book right now...borrowing out of the local library is out of the question (ask the daughter that "borrowed" a $50 Japanese-English dictionary on mom's card that she now can't find)...so I look in the forum for help.

I know it's a lot to ask, but if anyone has an copies of any bread books and baking paraphernalia...in any condition...or a line on a garage sale in Upstate NY, keep me in mind. Every other Saturday (I get paid bi-weekly), I make the local rounds of tag sales, hoping to find that baker that's upgrading their kitchen...or moving to Europe and can't take the cookbooks, utensils and gadgets they've accumulated...the best I've done so far is a really wobbly GE plastic stand mixer with a detachable beater but without a bowl. Pathetic to the hilt...but there it is.  Thanks for being here, for listening, and for giving me something constructive to do with my free time...

Rose Levy Beranbaum has put together a step-by-step guide to making bread, plus essential equipment and ingredients and 8 classic recipes for Epicurious. The primer looks good. Except for one part. I would revise the list of "essential equipment" for bread baking by including only the following:

Absolutely Essential:

• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Large Wooden Spoon
• Bench Scraper
• Large Mixing Bowl with lid (doubles as a Dough-Rising Container)
• Cooling Rack
• Cookie Sheet
• Parchment Paper

Optional but Nice:

• Scales (Spring and/or Digital)
• Proofing Boxes (oven with only the light turned on works well)
• Banneton (any old basket or colander lined with a tea towel works)
• Baking Stone
• Loaf Pans (including a Cast-Iron Pan)
• Long Bladed Serrated Knife
• Baking Peel
• Broiling Pan
• Pump Spray Bottle (for water)
• Thermometer
• Timer

Completely Unnecessary:

• Stand Mixer, Bread Machine, or Food Processor

Hand mixing is very easy to do, especially if you have a nice large wooden spoon or paddle. Hand kneading is equally easy, especially with the help of a bench scraper. And now, of course, there are many "no-knead" bread recipes that completely eliminate the need (no pun intended) for putting dough onto the board at all.

Other gadgets (scales, bread stones, thermometers, etc. etc.) are nice to have but are definitely not necessary. I gather that electric mixers are very nice as well. But I can't really say as I don't have one; nor do I have any desire for one. (No counter space.) All bread bakers, even novices, can produce wonderful bread in their kitchens with just these few items.

One More Absolutely Essential Item:
Oh yes, and one more thing that is absolutely required for baking bread:

• a heat source....

An oven or barbecue will do the trick. :-)

-Elizabeth

This is a partial mirror of a post on my blog that covers all aspects of food. Read the full post here:

• blog from OUR kitchen: Essential Equipment for Bread Baking

And here is the link to Beranbaum's Bread Primer:

• epicurious: Bread Basics

Hi Ya'll

Things have gone pair shaped and it looks like I am moving back to Australia. I moved to the UK 12 months ago almost to the day and things havent worked out. It looks like I am moving back to OZ.

The problem with this is that I cant use my KAM over there due to the different sockets etc.

My mixer is BRAND NEW. Still under warranty and honestly has never been used. The reason being it was a replacement for the mixer that walked itself off the bench a few months back and ever since receiving it, I just havent used it. It has sat on the bench lookin pretty but doing nowt else.

Its brand new....(Bright Red too!) but I am selling it for the best offer price. I bought it for around £340.

I live in East Sussex (right on the boarder of east and west actually) and close to Brighton. If anyone is interested, then let me know.

Thanks guys

The Green Baker.

See the cooking.com demo video of the BRICK OVEN BRK-300. Click on http://video.aol.com/video-detail/id/3002937590  The oven has a ceramic enclosure and has a convection option a well as a builtin rotisserie. It sells for about $300.