It’s 3 a.m. and Leslie Lynch is already awake. She is in her kitchen, starting her coffee that she won’t drink until around 5 a.m. and praying that this day is just as good as the ones before.
Such is the life of a passionate baker. Lynch can make pastries, cakes, muffins, scones... anything. However bread is her specialty. It is something people look forward to, and what her family identifies as her best.

The black ovens inside the wall begin to preheat, ready for the circular pan holding bread. The wooden counter in the center of the room is almost white with flour and sugar.

However, this is no longer her life. For a year, Lynch woke up before anyone, shaped cinnamon rolls and started baking breads for the public at her store, The Kneading Dough Bakery. After a year of this, and limited compensation, she closed her retail business in September 2006. Now she only takes phone orders.

The bakery opened in September 2005 inside the Lynch home on Haggard Avenue. This allowed Lynch the freedom to do as she wished and all decisions were hers. She kept her bakery warm and inviting and always made sure her customers could sample anything they wished.

“Maybe you would like to have a bite of this bar.” Or “go ahead and try this,” she would say. She misses that interaction with her customers since she revised her business.

Lynch’s husband, Bob, saw how much strain the bakery was on his wife, especially financially. Some days the bakery would take in $200, another only $50. He considers his wife incredibly talented and hard working. He showed off her kitchen, making sure to point out the well-used recipes on the refrigerator.

The walls are bright green. Quotes about bread making and bakeries line the top of the wall in black, cursive writing. “Without bread is misery,” by William Cobbet, is one that stands out. The smell of cinnamon comes from the kitchen along with various types of bread.

Lynch liked the freedom to create a variety of items for the public. Now she produces whatever the customers want. A few of the retail customers have stayed with her and she enjoys that.

One of the reasons for opening the bakery in the Lynch home was the proximity to the growing developments of Elon student housing along Haggard Avenue. Lynch believed that being so near the campus would help her business. But it came with some costs, too.

Lynch grew up in Burlington and attended Western Alamance High School. She then moved to Chicago with her family where she met her husband. It was also in Chicago where she fell in love with baking. The number of bakeries in the city astonished her and gave her the desire to go into baking.
When they came to Elon, the Lynch family knew that they were moving into a house close to a college campus, but had no idea the amount of changes that would later ensue.

In her four years in Elon, Lynch noticed the changes at Elon University. While some change is good, she says she sometimes misses the quiet. Now, apartments and town homes are next door, filled with Elon students.

She gets neither sad nor angry when speaking of these changes. Instead, she smiles and says, “You just have to make the best of it, wherever you are.” She knows that this home can be as temporary as she and her family want it to be, but she stays for her business.

Opening a retail bakery was Lynch’s idea and so was the decision to close. She said that she is always independent enough to make her own decisions and choose what is right for herself and her family.

“I didn’t know the week before it was going to change,” Lynch said.

Lynch prayed before closing her shop. It has always seemed to help her and she believes it makes her stronger. People would tell her to take it slowly, and maybe only be open once or twice a week. She said no and just closed the bakery altogether.

She has no idea what the future holds, but looks forward to it, and takes each day as a gift, like a free sample.

Reporter: Laurie Craft - 02/08/07