Can vertical spindle mixers make bread and pastry dough, as well as cracker doughs?

Sure, according to Mike Johnson, executive director of the Thomas L. Green Biscuit & Cracker brand. Mr. Johnson explained that the same 2-stage process commonly applied to cracker doughs had advantages for other baked foods. Thomas L. Green Biscuit & Cracker vertical spindle mixers from Reading Bakery Systems, Robesonia, PA, offer a 2-stage, or proofed-dough, mixing process.


Vertical spindle mixers can mix the same dough twice without having to transfer it to different troughs or containers during the mixing process, he explained. The dough stays in the same trough throughout the process. After completing the primary mixing stage, the dough rests for a period of time before being repositioned beneath the spindles and remixed with the final ingredients.

Thomas L. Green spindle mixers have been redesigned from the ground up, according to Mr. Johnson. The mixers now include three independent, commercially available gearboxes, one for each vertical spindle. The resigned mixers feature modern styling and appearance with all-stainless-steel construction and capacities for batch sizes ranging from 272 to 950 kg (600 to 2,094 lb). Also, the mixer’s new design is easier to clean and offers improved guarding and structural rigidity than previous units.

As new products such as tough fat-free doughs have evolved, bakers are able to continue to use these workhorse machines without having to purchase special mixers dedicated to each new product offering, Mr. Johnson added.