Systems and methods for dispensing, slicing, buttering, and toasting bread

A system for dispensing bread buns into a bun slicing mechanism comprising:

• a receiver;
• a hopper comprising an elongated housing configured to contain a row of whole bread buns, wherein the elongated housing defines a discharge end configured to transiently engage the receiver and to dispense whole bread buns into the receiver, and wherein the elongated housing defines a pressurized end opposite the discharge end;
• a piston arranged within the hopper between the pressurized end of the hopper and the row of whole bread buns;
• a permeable seal interposed between an interior wall of the hopper and an adjacent surface of the piston, wherein the permeable seal cooperates with the hopper and the piston to define a closed volume between the pressurized end of the hopper and the piston, and wherein the permeable seal is configured to bleed gas from the closed volume toward the discharge end of the hopper;
• a gas supply intermittently supplying gas into the closed volume to displace the piston toward the discharge end of the hopper;
• and
• a roller arranged between the hopper and the receiver and extending into a boundary defined by a cross-section of the hopper projected toward the receiver parallel to an axis of the hopper.