A bread oven must offer optimal results, low energy consumption, and more. Read the article to discover the best oven for your bakery.
Bread is the undisputed protagonist of the table in Italy, and credit is also due to the bakers. These professionals, while respecting tradition, offer new and particularly interesting products to an increasingly demanding clientele.
Mixes made with ancient grains, natural leavening techniques, and craftsmanship are expertly combined by bakers with new technologies and scientific knowledge.
Therefore, a bread oven must be a tool capable of adapting to the production variety, simplifying the work of bakers, and speeding up times. Not only that, it must always guarantee impeccable and uniform cooking, whatever recipe is used.
Let’s discover what characteristics a bread oven must have today to meet the needs of new generations of bakers.
Let’s get started.
What type of oven is needed for bread?
A bakery oven must be designed to allow extremely precise control of temperature, humidity, and steam inside. These features are essential to obtain bread with perfect alveolation and the right level of crust crispness.
To better manage the temperature inside the cooking chamber, one must consider how heat is generated and transmitted.
For this reason, it is essential to look for a bakery oven made with quality materials, particularly refractory ones that can withstand high temperatures and keep them constant.
The external structure of the bread oven must be well insulated so that heat is not dispersed to the outside. This not only results in better cooking but also reduces energy consumption and allows for a cooler working environment.
The best professional bakery ovens, therefore, are those that use:
- High-quality materials to ensure constant temperature maintenance inside the combustion chamber, avoiding thermal shocks
- Cutting-edge technologies for heat management
The technological component of the oven is particularly useful to simplify work and allow for precise and punctual temperature management.
Having a tool that allows for programming ignition, setting temperatures and cooking times, and measuring the humidity level inside the cooking chamber is undoubtedly a huge advantage.
Types of bread ovens
There are various types of ovens for bread since they are designed to meet the needs of very different activities. These differences can arise from both the type of products made and the quantity and production methods.
On the market, it is possible to find:
- Deck ovens for bread
- Tunnel ovens for bread
In small artisanal laboratories, the most widespread solution is a deck oven that has several baking chambers. Conversely, tunnel ovens are often used in larger businesses.
This type of equipment can be integrated into automatic production lines, where it simplifies work management. In addition, it is perfect for baking various products such as traditional bread, Arabic bread, as well as pizza, crostini, and bruschetta.
In tunnel ovens for bread, the operation is particularly simple: it is based on a conveyor belt on which the products are placed. They are passed between two sources of heat, which return them cooked and fragrant while keeping energy consumption low.
Bakery ovens can also be divided based on the type of fuel:
- Gas ovens for bread
- Electric ovens for bread
In gas-powered ovens, heat is produced by a burner that generates a flame that heats the oven, making cooking very versatile.
However, more and more bakeries prefer to use electric ovens since they can spread heat more evenly and offer multiple advantages. Let’s see them in detail.
Advantages of electric ovens for bread baking
The ease of use, reduced energy consumption, and uniform cooking make electric ovens for bread one of the most efficient solutions.
In electric ovens, heating of the resistors generates the heat necessary for cooking. This feature offers the baker the possibility of being able to differentiate the mode of heat diffusion: from above, from below, or from both sides.
Electric bread ovens, unlike other types of fuel, allow for easy setting and management of the temperature of the ceiling and floor. The result is impeccable and uniform cooking of the loaves.
Another aspect not to be underestimated is that modern professional electric ovens usually offer lower heat dispersion. This feature, in addition to favoring bread baking, allows for lower energy consumption.
In summary, the advantages of electric ovens for bread baking are:
- Simplicity and ease of use
- Automatic temperature management
- Possibility to select the heat diffuser between the ceiling and floor
- Ability to turn on a single baking chamber or more
- Easy installation (no use of a chimney is required)
- Easy cleaning
- Reduced energy consumption
Electric bread ovens usually offer different combinations or programs. This allows for differentiated cooking depending on the type of product to be baked and facilitates work (especially for less experienced staff).
In addition, this type of oven offers the maximum cooking surface even in the most compact models. This feature also makes them ideal for those with small laboratories.
The best ovens for bakeries
The best professional bread oven is the one:
- Made with innovative technology and high-quality materials
- That reflects the production needs and working methods of each activity
The best bakery ovens currently available on the market have been designed to ensure even heat distribution and high energy savings.
Not to mention the ease of use given by: digital control of temperature and humidity; the ability to choose from numerous programs; automatic cleaning. All these features greatly simplify the work of bakers.
Italforni bakery ovens are designed specifically for bread baking. In addition, they have cutting-edge technology that offers high cooking performance, reduced energy consumption, and the ability to experiment with ever new doughs.
All with the certainty of being able to count on a precise and reliable cooking tool.
