"We had the problem of manually loading and unloading the oven, and starting and stopping the oven drive," added Mr. Dattolo. "This made for inconsistent bake times, poor temperature control and loss of heat within the stone plates."
This new "continuous band" tunnel oven consists of 18-in.-by-6-in.-by-1-in. natural stone plates arranged lengthwise across the 10-ft oven width. The plates move as a continuous surface through the 60-ft oven length, separating only to travel around the end-drive rolls. In all, the 1,700 plates used in the oven collectively weigh 19,500 lb.
The bread process uses a Benier makeup line to divide and shape dough pieces. After a rest period, the pieces transfer to a manual proofer and a separate retarding system. Peel boards are manually placed onto the loading mechanism, which transfers product off the boards and directly onto the stone plates.
"There is no way we could match the bake using a mesh or steel band oven," said Mr. Dattolo. "The stone, especially at 1-in. thick, stores a lot of energy, which is gradually transferred to the product during the bake cycle."
The oven also gives the bakery flexibility in crust and texture development, according to Mr. Dattolo. "With all our different types of bread, from rye to 6-ft hoagies, this oven gives us considerable capabilities to achieve exactly what we need for each variety."
A unique aspect of the oven is that one of its two burner systems is used primarily to preheat the stone plates prior to product loading. The preheat section occupies the first one-third of the oven, and air baffles redirect most of the heat around the product-containing plates to the returning stone plates traveling underneath.
This way, the plates are full of heat energy when fresh product is deposited, and there is no lag time for heat build-up. Baking begins immediately.
FIRST-CLASS ALL THE WAY.
For the small roll and bagel line, a six-pocket Adamatic line and an eight-pocket Winkler roll feed a closed loop processing system. The Winkler can output 24,000 pieces per hour
Dough pieces, deposited on dusted peel boards, travel to the automated loading mechanism of the Gemini monorail proofer/retarder system. Peel boards load from the bottom and travel up the carrier until all spaces are full. The carrier then begins its journey along the top-mounted monorail into the proofer.
"This is wonderful system and a critical step in the development of our unique taste," said Mr. Dattolo.
Once a hanging carrier is full, it automatically enters the proofer. Since this is a closed-loop, continuous-motion system, the Dattolos needed to formulate their different products specifically to accommodate the singular proofing conditions.
Additionally, products are proofed at ambient temperatures for only about two-thirds their total proof time. They then automatically transfer from the proofer to the temperature- and humidity-controlled retarder where they travel in a serpentine pattern for about five hours.
"Very few bakeries process dough in this fashion," stated Mr. Dattolo. "But this helps develop our unique sweet, yet slightly yeasty taste. It makes the flavor come alive."
After retarding, peel boards are automatically discharged from the carriers and conveyed to the Winkler 105-ft tunnel oven where products are automatically loaded into the oven. Peel boards continue on, get re-dusted and loaded with new dough.
Baked products are conveyed to the top of a 21-ft high I.J. White spiral tower where they cool under ambient conditions for about 90 minutes before they are packed on one of two UBE packing lines.
BRIGHT FUTURE.
Anthony & Sons definitely thought ahead when designing its new plant. At least one additional full production line and smaller isolated operations could easily fit in the existing space.
"We would like to install an automated stingline for baguettes and are considering frozen par-baked and fully-baked items," reiterated Mr. Dattolo. "We have a commitment to success not only for our father, who retired but is still an integral part of the business, but also for our children, who we hope will someday come into the business and carry it into the future." With this dedication to business and commitment to quality, Anthony & Sons certainly established itself a winning formula.
Today, many small entrepreneurial bakers maintain this dedication to authenticity. Those with vision and drive, take their business quickly yet carefully to progressively expanded levels. Such is the past, present and future for Anthony & Sons Bakery, Denville, N.J.
"We started out 16 years ago in a 3,000-sq-ft industrial unit with 12-ft-high ceilings at Fairfield," said Baldo Dattolo, president, c.e.o. "My father, Anthony, started the business, then asked my brother, Joseph, and me to join him. Starting with one 2-bag mixer and a Universal revolving oven, we generated one sales route to local restaurants.
"During the next 15 years we gradually grew and took over adjacent space," continued Mr. Dattolo. "We ran out of available space at 22,000 sq ft and decided, if we wanted to continue to grow, we would have to build a new plant, designed with production and labor efficiencies, and future expansion capabilities."
By the time the company reached capacity at this location, it had a hodge-podge of equipment, processing lines and inefficient production. "We were producing 200 types of products, 22 hours per day and couldn't keep up with orders," noted Mr. Dattolo.
MAKING THE MOVE.
Anthony & Sons bakes kaiser, hero and hoagy rolls as well as Italian and French bread, focaccia loaves, Tuscan rolls, bagels and a variety of specialty artisan bread for food service customers.
In late September, Anthony & Sons commissioned an $11 million, 65,000-sq-ft facility located eight miles from the old plant. More than 44,000 yds of dirt and rock needed to be removed just to level the site, one of the last available commercial pieces of land in the area.
"That portion alone took four months," recalled Mr. Dattolo. "While site and building construction costs topped $4 million, the equipment and inside services ran more than $7 million." That is a significant investment for a regional bakery, but the company insisted on "only the best" processing and material handing equipment available.
Labor savings in the new plant alone will recoup a large portion of the cost, according to Mr. Dattolo. "We can now produce more in one 8-hour shift than we could in 24 hours at the old plant, and we reduced our total labor force by more than one-third."
The Dattolos — Anthony, along with Baldo and his brother and vice-president, Joseph — designed the building and process flow. Precise computer aided design (CAD) drawings of the equipment layout were completed by Vince DiBella, vice-president of manufacturing, who is also the Dattolos' brother-in-law.
"At our current production, which uses about 200,000 lb of flour per week, we have capacity to more than triple production," Baldo Dattolo said. "Right now, all our products are fresh, nothing frozen. Frozen is a market we are exploring. We hope to double our freezer capacity and expand our distribution nationwide. We currently have 40 delivery routes covering portions of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania."
At this time, the company has no plans to go retail. "We are concentrating our niche on food service," said Mr. Dattolo.
STONE PERFECTION.
The plant has a wealth of state-of-the-art processing systems, including a unique proofing/retarding system and the first United States installation of a Peerless Gouet "continuous-band" stone tunnel oven.
"We spent more than four years planning what equipment we would need for such an endeavor as this," he added. "We brought in exactly what we needed for our operation now and for the future."
Processing starts with a KB Systems automated flour handling system drawing from two 70,000-lb silos to feed three Peerless mixers — one 1,000-lb and two 1,300-lb capacities. "We have additional flour handling systems already in place for two more mixers when we're ready," he added.
Raw materials and paper goods are stored separately, brought into production and packaging rooms according to scheduled need. Doughs are prepared in batches on two Peerless horizontal mixers, equipped with double-arm mixing elements. Finished doughs move by trough from the mixer station to each of the two APV Baker (Werner Lehara) indirectly fired tunnel ovens.
A variety of depositing stations allow Archway to produce wire-cut, rotary moulded, bar, deposited and flip-style cookies on the same high-production line. The choice of indirect fire heating meets Archway's needs to keep moisture in the cookie, rather than drive it out.
Cookies travel a long run-out oven belt before they transfer to the cooling line infeed. Icing fountains and granulated sugar depositors are linked into the line to top cookies, as required. Small nuggetstyle cookies are tumbled in powdered sugar toppings after they cool, but most other Archway styles are topped or iced while still oven-hot.
