Baking & Snack - April 2024 - 63

EQUIPMENT
Tortilla & Flatbread Processing
a bakery's
Flatbread and tortilla lines become as flexible as needed
when bakers try to diversify their product lines.
by Charlotte Atchley
T
The flatbread category is vast with a wide variety of sizes,
shapes, textures and flavors. Product developers flex their
creativity with new formats and uses for consumers.
" This has been a growing market for 40 years, but
it's become immensely popular in the past few years as
more restaurant chains are offering more menu items
featuring tortillas and flatbreads, " said Rich Wall, executive
general manager, Sottoriva America. " If you look at
the flatbread market with wraps, spinach wraps, tomatobased
tortillas, there are so many more offerings in this
category than ever before. "
As consumer acceptance and education around flatbreads
has grown, the category has evolved.
" Flatbread started out in the United States as a vehicle
for consumers to enjoy hummus, but now they are so
much more than that, " said Nick Magistrelli, vice president
of sales, Rademaker USA. " Flatbread is moving toward
pizza and pizza toward flatbread; those two categories
are beginning to overlap. "
With flatbreads and tortillas continuously evolving, bakery
manufacturers have to ensure their production lines
can keep up with the times. Luckily, the sheeting lines that
produce most flatbreads can be designed to the highest
level of flexibility.
" It's a Swiss army knife of production lines because you
can do so many things with it, " he said.
Just as with a real Swiss army knife, it's critical bakers
know what tools are available to them and how to configure
the line to get the most products while still maintaining
quality and volume.
Know what's needed
When designing a sheeting line to be flexible for flatbreads,
the conversation always starts with the products, both current
and future. Producing naan, pita, wraps or lavash and
their various sizes will determine what capabilities the line
must have.
" Our machines have the capability of doing both tortilla
and flatbreads, " said Sergio Caballero, regional sales manager,
FoodTools. " We design the units around what the
customer wants, and this is all discussed when the project
starts out. "
In addition to ensuring the line comes with the proper
components in place, flexibility adds length, which can
sometimes be an issue.
" The key to having a line able to produce diverse product
is knowing which products could be potentially made on
the line before it's designed, " said John Giacoio, vice president
of sales, Rheon USA. " This allows you to at least be
sure you have the necessary space for any future options. "
The types of products will determine the appropriate
number of sheeting stations and cutters to get the right
shapes and sizes, but it's also critical to understand the
types of dough that will be running on the line.
www.bakingbusiness.com / April 2024 Baking & Snack 63
Knowing what types
of flatbreads will be
produced on one line
is critical to ensuring
the line is designed
with the right
amount of sheeting
stations and makeup
equipment.
Rademaker USA
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - April 2024

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