Best mixer for very small-scale commercial bagel operation?
Hi --
Hoping someone might have advice for a challenge I'm dealing with. I am looking to start a very small-scale bagel operation; at the outset I'd be mixing dough with a maximum of 25 pounds of flour one day a week. The recipe is a traditional strong, high-gluten, approx 56% hydration bagel dough -- at home I use my super basic, old Cuisinart food processor which yields excellent results but can handle about a pound at a time and gives up after 3 or 4 batches of that size. I would love to find something that will treat the dough the same way but can do maybe 3-5 pounds at a time and power its way through 25 pounds in batches without the motor giving out. And I'm renting space in another shop's commercial kitchen (New Jersey has no cottage food laws) so it needs to be something I can bring in and out or store out of the way.
I contacted Robot Coupe and they suggested their top-end food processor (R602 VVB) which has a 7-quart bowl and retails for almost $3800. That seems like it would do the job well but I would like to spend substantially less than that. Other products that I've considered I worry are either too bulky or too weak. I don't need something that will last 20 years but I want it to be reliable while I get this off the ground and see if there's growth potential.
Does what I'm looking for exist? Very grateful for any suggestions, thanks!
The type of equipment you need to mix 25 pound flour batches of stiff dough is likely going to be somewhat bulky and expensive (I assume the 7 quart robot coupe would be unable to process that much flour in one mix by the way simply based on a 7 quart container being much to small to even hold 25 pound of flour). I very much doubt you will find any option that is strong enough to mix 25 pound flour batches and is also cheap enough to make it seem like a good investment for a single day of baking per week. That type of flour batch would probably require at a minimum a 40 quart planetary and would probably mix better and put less strain on a 60 quart planetary. Of course spiral mixer are also a good option and similarly priced.
One option would be to target a refurbished 20 quart Hobart which would probably run you between 1500-2000. Of course you would not be able to do 25 pound flour batches in one go, you may need to do 2-3 mixes. Realistically this is probably one of your better options especially considering that 20 quart Hobarts maintain value really well so that if you decide to sell it down the line it should be pretty easy to do. Also, from rough calculations a 25 pound flour batch could make upwards of 150 bagels, you may find that mixing in smaller batches is actually advantageous in terms of your ability to process the dough in a timely manner.
Hope this helps some, if you have any follow up questions that I may be able to help you with don't hesitate to ask.
iMaybe look into Ankarsrum mixers. They can handle strong flour (bread /high gluten). Kneading takes longer than with food processors, but I have kneaded recipes using 5 pounds of strong flour with no problems.
Thank you both! I realize this sounds like something of a quixotic project but I was actually in touch with the manager at Ankarsrum's importer yesterday after posting and she thinks it can handle it, broken down into 4-5 pound batches. I will probably give it a try and then will find out if I can handle rolling 150-175 bagels.
Your original post seems to switch from talking about flour weight to dough weight.
"... at the outset I'd be mixing dough with a maximum of 25 pounds of flour one day a week. ... I would love to find something that will treat the dough the same way but can do maybe 3-5 pounds at a time and power its way through 25 pounds in batches ..."
So be careful in your communications with manufacturers/sellers, whether you mean:
"a batch of 5 pounds of dough, at 56% hydration"
or
"a batch of dough made from 5 pounds of flour", which would be 7.8 pounds of dough, at 56% hydration.
If you say just "5 pound batch" and you're thinking the second meaning, but the seller is thinking the first meaning, you will likely end up disappointed with the purchase.
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It would be good to specify your hydration too, because dense low-hydration dough would put more strain on the machine then a loose dough.
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By the way, just doing some math....
5 pounds of dough at a time, at 56% hydration, would need 8 mixes/batches to go through 25 pounds of flour.
7.8 pounds of dough at a time, at 56% hydration, would need 5 mixes/batches to go through 25 pounds of flour.
Yes, point taken and thank you -
I am having the same issues. Can you tell me what mixer you went with