The Ultimate Guide to Dough Mixers: What You Need to Know Before You Buy
Whether you’re crafting artisan sourdough, sweet brioche, or everyday white loaves, there’s one piece of equipment that can make or break your consistency, quality, and efficiency: the dough mixers.
As a bakery owner, if you’ve ever Googled “best commercial dough mixer”, “spiral mixer for bakery” or “dough mixers Australia”, you’ve probably found yourself sifting through specs and sales talk. So here’s the ultimate guide, made specifically for bakery owners like you.
A dough mixer is a specialised piece of equipment that blends and kneads ingredients into a smooth, uniform dough.
Dough mixers are the heart of bakeries and commercial kitchens, especially when making products like bread, pastries and pizza bases.
There are a few different styles of mixers available – like spiral mixers, twin arm mixers, planetary mixers, and fork mixers. Each one suited to different dough types and production volumes.
Why Choose A Spiral Dough Mixer?
While there are several types of dough mixers on the market, spiral mixers are a popular choice for most bakeries and here’s why:
Designed specifically for dough: They rotate the bowl while the spiral hook kneads, imitating hand-kneading and ensuring optimal gluten development.
Gentle on temperature: Minimal heat is transferred, keeping your dough in the sweet spot for yeast fermentation.
Efficient and consistent: Handles high hydration, stiff doughs, and everything in between.
Popular Dough Mixers for Bakeries at Vanrooy Machinery
We’ve helped bakeries of all sizes, from boutique sourdough specialists to large-scale production lines, find their ideal mixer. Here are a few customer favourites:
Spiral Mixer
The Escher M Premium Series is a fixed bowl spiral dough mixer designed specifically to improve your production quality and time parameters.
The Premium Line was created for intensive use with stiffer doughs whilst featuring the Premium drive system and dual belt resulting in more power being delivered to the spiral tool.
Planetary Mixer
The Tekno Stamap range of TK Planetary Mixers is built for flexibility, durability, and performance.
Making it the ideal mixing solution for any medium-sized business.
Available in 40 to 120 litre bowl capacities, this range offers the versatility to handle a wide variety of doughs with ease.
Twin Arm Mixer
The Miss Baker PRO XL is the first benchtop double arm mixer designed for handling small quantities of dough but with commercial mixer qualities, features and importantly, strength.
Featuring a 5-speed operation, it efficiently kneads and oxygenates dough ranging from 1.5kg to 8kg, maintaining a quality that upholds the highest traditions.
Industrial Mixer
The Escher MR Professional Series is the new line of removable bowl spiral mixers.
This line maintains the high quality principles and levels of mixing that Escher are renowned for, whilst introducing a range of important new high tech solutions.
Industrial Mixer
Introducing the new Escher MW Line, featuring removable bowls and double mixing tools.
This line of innovative industrial mixers are the industry leader in dough hydration technology, specially designed to improve your production process and dough quality whilst reducing your wastage.
Planetary Mixer
The Escher PM Professional Line of planetary mixers offers capacities from 60L to 160L, featuring automatic bowl lifting, variable speed options, and durable stainless steel construction.
Designed for professional use, they deliver long-lasting performance, high hygiene standards, and minimal maintenance.
What to Look for When Buying a Dough Mixer for Your Bakery
Choosing the wrong mixer can cost you time, money, and dough quality. Here’s what you should keep in mind:
1. Capacity
Think in batches. Are you doing 5kg or 50kg at a time? Aim for a mixer that can handle your peak production without overloading.
2. Speed and Control
Multiple speeds are essential. You need a gentle mix to start and stronger kneading for structure.
3. Build Quality
Look for a stainless steel bowl, and solid construction that can handle daily wear and tear.
4. Temperature Management
Overheated dough means inconsistent proofing and flat loaves. A good spiral mixer keeps things cool.
5. Ease of Cleaning
Sanitation is everything. Choose a mixer with an easy to clean bowl, smooth surfaces, and minimal crevices.
6. Support & Servicing
You’re running a business, you can’t afford downtime. That’s why we offer full servicing, technical support, and access to spare parts.
FAQs About Dough Mixers (from Bakery Owners Like You)
What size dough mixer does my bakery need?
It depends on your batch size and number of daily mixes. As a rule of thumb, your bowl should be 20–30% larger than your average dough quantity to avoid overfilling.
What’s better for a bakery, a spiral mixer or planetary mixer?
Spiral mixers are better for bread, rolls, and pizza dough. Planetary mixers are more versatile but not ideal for heavy doughs. Most bakeries use both, but spiral for dough is a must.
Can I mix sourdough in a spiral mixer?
Absolutely. Spiral mixers are perfect for sourdoughs, especially those with high hydration.
FAQs About Vanrooy Machinery
Does Vanrooy offer installation and training?
Yes, we offer full delivery, installation and hands-on training for all our equipment.
Where are you located?
We’re based in Melbourne and service all of Australia.
Can I test the equipment first?
Definitely. Visit our Test Kitchen to trial our machines before you buy. Bookings are available by appointment.
Your dough is the foundation of your product. Don’t leave it to chance.
The right dough mixer doesn’t just save time, it improves product consistency, reduces staff fatigue, and helps you scale your production without burning out your team (or your budget).
At Vanrooy Machinery, we’ll help you find the mixer that fits your bakery, your workflow, and your future. Reach out to our expert team here!
