Introducing the hydraulic dough divider in Kenya!
What is a hydraulic dough divider?
A hydraulic dough divider is machine approximately 1 metre long and about 0.6Metres wide and with almost a square shaped top. It divides automatically and cuts the dough placed on its almost squared shaped cutting basket into equal square blocks of dough.This blocks can then be molded and proofed then baked.
How do you use hydraulic dough divider?
Because its works is to automatically divide the dough into square blocks of equal weight. Its upto the baker to determine the weight of the final dough they want .Lets say you want 450gram dough per loaf. Because the machine has a fixed number of sunken cutters which could range from 20 to 36 This depends on the dough dividing range of the machine. In this case if your machine has a dough dividing range of 100g-800g and with 20 cutters. This means you need to add(450g *20)=9,000grams or 9kgs to your cutting basket. The machine will automatically divide and cut 20pcs of 450grams!
However if you want to produce a very good quality of bread you need to prepare your dough well. There are basically three stages of dough preparation:
1.Dough mixing-Having a modern, fast, dough mixer is important to ensure you achieve dough elasticity. This Dough elasticity(ability to regain shape after stretching) is attained due to production of a protein called gluten during the mixing process. Additionally more the mixing the more the elasticity is attained and the better the dough traps the air produced by yeast causing it to rise.
2.Dough dividing and cutting -In this step you can use your hydraulic dough divider
3.Dough proofing-This is done in a chamber like machine known as a proofer that provides humidity
conditions of about 70% and optimum temperatures of 36 degrees to allow yeast to rise and produce gas.
What is the difference between hydraulic dough divider and volumetric dough divider?
1.Volumetric dough divider has a hopper where all dough is dropped.Its uses this weight of dough to press and cut the dough through a cutter that is connected to a piston that measure the volume that you need.
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