Changes That Have Taken Place in The Australian Bakery Industry

The Australian bakery market has been witnessing continuous growth during the last few years at about 5 percent CAGR (compound annual growth rate). For breads, the percentage is slightly less, when cakes are experiencing a bit higher growth rate at the same time. The largest growth has been witnessed in the area of artisan breads – they are being supported strongly in the sectors of retail street as well as in-store bakeries. The main reason behind this is the desire of consumers for authentic taste and better freshness in their baked goods.

In the market associated with food service cake of Australia, the ever-booming cafe culture of the Kiwis has led to significant growth that is currently being satisfied by introducing plenty of new and finer flavoured bakery products. Besides that, professionals have never been so concerned about creating gluten-free baked food items. Of all the products that have been launched ever since the year 2013, 21 percent of them claim to be gluten-free. Voluntary programs for reduction of salt have also been implemented in the bakery industry, especially in the sector of packaged bread. On top of that, usage of appropriate palm oil is also being demanded by consumers in a wide range of baked goods.

The white bread sector is declining rapidly and being replaced by several healthier options such as ancient grains, wholemeal, grains with fruit, variety grains, etc. During the last 5 years, the bakery industry has been focusing particularly on the production of healthier, gluten-free and artisanal bread. This has specifically benefited younger Australians by providing them with more health-friendly breakfast options.

On the other hand, the variety of cookies and cakes being offered grows continuously in flavours and varieties. The conventional cake specialty shop items have become more specialised and gained their own grounds in the commercial market. Consumers, however, are becoming more and more interested in the processes being used at present for making gluten-free and healthy bread. Even the equipment being utilised by production facilities, such as bakery mixing systems, makeup lines, solids handling machines, etc. have become a topic of discussion among the health-conscious Australians.

Consumers in the nation of Australia have become more concerned about eating quality food over the last 5 years. This has, in fact, been greatly driven by tremendous growth in radio, supermarkets, television, etc. distributing food and meal ideas. It has reflected significantly on the bakery industry and its taste, appearance and flavour.

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A Brief Overview Of Artisan Breads

Artisan breads are generally prepared with the help of long established traditional processes that originated in the European countries. Although the preparation methods involve regular ingredients like flour, yeast, salt and water, the process of making even a single artisan loaf is lengthy as well as complex. The science behind reactions among the ingredients has to be understood properly, and a proper environment is also required for developing the bread.

Nowadays, many bakeries use artisan bread line equipment for producing these gourmet baked goods in small batches rather than producing them in large numbers for the commercial market. In order to bake more intricate and flavoured artisan breads, the list of ingredients may expand for including such other items such as cheddar cheese, sliced onions, olive oil and sun-dried tomatoes. At the time of preparation, these constituents are combined with the regular ones as per specific recipes and then fermented very slowly prior to shaping the dough by hand. After that, they are baked inside ovens using steam until a golden brown crust forms on them. The ovens maintain a consistent high heat for expanding gas bubbles inside the dough. The overall process for making a loaf can take about 12 hours or even more. Some instances of hand-crafted breads are the semolina, country French loaf, flavoured focaccia and ciabatta.

Since artisan breads are baked without the use of any chemical additive, they have fully developed flavours and therefore, cannot be preserved for more than a day or two after purchase. One must either store them in a refrigerator for an extended period or eat them as soon as possible. However, leftover artisan breads can be used for making panzanella, a delicious Italian bread salad. The process of preparation involves dicing 5 to 6 slices of a day old artisan bread into small cubes and drizzling them with olive oil. The cubes must be tossed and spread over a baking sheet, and then sprinkled with pepper, garlic powder and salt. The concoction must finally be toasted for about 10 minutes or less at 200 degrees Celsius and allowed to cool.

Artisan breads come in a wide range of sizes and shapes. Some of them are ideal for preparing sandwiches, whereas others are served at gourmet restaurants. The most common variants prepared by bakeries include baguette, batard, demi-baguette, boule, cluster, filone, fougasse, loaf, oval, lunga, petit pain, pane bianco and foccacia.

Difference Between Deck and Convection Ovens

It is needless to say that the type of oven used plays a paramount role in determining the quality of the items prepared by a bakery. Besides that it also has a significant impact on the overall production. Sometimes, a bakery may not be using the right kind of oven for the goods they usually produce. It can often be due to budget constraints or utilisation of second hand equipment. However, most bakers somehow reimburse for these issues in one way or another, such as, adapting their recipes, changing baking times, etc.

But selecting the right kind of oven eliminates any type of wrongful experimentation and mystery associated with preparing otherwise authentic baked goods. Let’s have a look at the two most common kinds of ovens used by bakeries:

Deck Oven

It is a very important piece of equipment for any artisan bakery that seeks to prepare exquisite and crusty loaves of bread. Although it takes up more space and necessitates skilled workers for operation, the end products are always of high quality. It typically makes use of conduction heating, which is a procedure that involves movement of heat from a deck or hot stone to the sheet pan or loaves of bread being baked. It also employs radiant heating for penetrating in the dough and heating it throughout. Being capable of carrying a lot of mass, it has excellent recovery time and also holds temperature really well. An important feature that must be considered while buying this type of equipment is whether it runs on electricity or gas. The utility costs of either greatly depend on the facility type and region. There are many reputed commercial deck oven suppliers in Sydney who can provide effective assistance in choosing an appropriate type.

Convection Ovens

They are available in a plethora of variants – single rack, 10 pan, double rack, rotating rack, smaller designs with 1 to 5 pans, etc. One of the main features of these types is a fan that blows hot air and thus ensures transfer of heat. The convection heating process allows to use a wide range of temperature such as 425 degrees Fahrenheit for baking dinner rolls, hamburger buns, etc. or 150 degrees for drying meringus. Another beneficial feature of convection ovens is their capability of adding steam while baking. It aids in achieving a beautiful shine and fully expands the loaves of bread or anything else being baked.

Benefits Of Baking With A Rack Oven

For someone who makes their living by baking, having a decent quality oven is extremely essential. Rack ovens are one of the most common kind of ovens in Australia and have gained extreme popularity among bakeries, pastry shops and supermarkets. They are more than perfect for baking a wide range of food items such as cakes, cookies, pastries, artisan bread, pan bread, muffins and bagels.

Many bakery rack oven suppliers in New South Wales claim that using this type of oven can spell a great number of benefits. Let’s have a look at some of them given below:

Product Flexibility

Rack ovens can not only bake a variety of goods, but also be adjusted for accommodating emerging trends. They help in producing amazing bagels and breads, and a wide range of other goods including pies, muffins, cakes, cookies, croissants and pastries. Savoury items such as vegetables and meat can also be roasted with ease.

Consistency

Rack ovens make use of convection heat for baking, and cook any product more evenly and quickly than their radiant heat counterparts. In their baking chamber, fans moving at low velocity evenly distribute the hot air from top to the bottom. The constant slow rotation of the chamber ensures an even bake from back to front.

Easy To Use

The most enticing feature of rack ovens is their ease of use. Most modern units come with computerised control panels which can be programmed for regulating timing, steam generation, temperature and many other things. As such, the only things that need to be done are loading the items that are to be baked and selecting an appropriate cycle after that. An operator would then be free to take care of other tasks and unload the items once the buzzer sounds.

Space Efficiency

Because of having vertical chambers for baking, a rack oven can accommodate a large number of pans in every cycle. Thus, it offers a great degree of space efficiency and ensures high productivity.

Before buying a rack oven, it is important to locate a company that is known for providing reliable service and support even after purchase. Having a customer support who can provide assistance even when called up in the middle of the night can not only help to up the production, but also aid in offering quality products to clients. Therefore, rack ovens should always be bought from a firm that can offer continued support.