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• Dough sheeters, which flatten dough by pushing it between rollers, come in various sizes. Modeled on the same principal as a small hand-cranked pasta press used to roll out pasta, these large industrial machines are used in commercial bakeries. Commercial-grade sheeters can cost thousands of dollars, and the larger the machine, the greater the price.

Uses

• Sheeters can press any kind of dough. Most commonly, they are used for pizza crusts, flatbreads, pie crusts, pastry dough and cake fondant that is needed in large quantity.

Fondant cakes

• Sheeters are especially important for bakeries that work with fondant, a sugary, smooth icing. Fondant must be rolled out precisely, and it shows all imperfections. A sheeter can create smooth and thin pieces in minutes, without the frustration of rolling by hand. You can see sheeters in action in cooking shows that focus on baking or cake creation.