Jennifer Thomas | American Fork Citizen

The popular Utah bakery known as “Dough Lady” officially expanded its footprint by opening its second brick-and-mortar storefront in Lehi, Utah.

What started as a pandemic passion project has grown into a local baking empire. Owners Amy and Eric Lund celebrated the grand opening of their second location at 3156 N 1200 W, Lehi, in September, welcoming crowds that stretched well past adjacent storefronts for a taste of Utah’s gooiest cinnamon rolls.

Dough Lady’s origin dates to the height of the 2020 pandemic. Trapped at home and navigating unfulfilling desk jobs in corporate America, Amy Lund turned to baking as a “side hustle.”

“In 2020, my husband Eric and I had just got married and were thinking of different side hustles. I was baking a lot because you know, COVID, and I thought we could sell rolls to family and friends for the holidays,” said Lund.

The Lunds started selling frozen dough out of their townhome kitchen, hoping a few steady sales would mean success.

“We started selling frozen dough out of our townhome kitchen, and I honestly thought if we could sell to a few family and friends, that would be a success,” said Lund.

Tired of the dry cinnamon rolls from the local market, Lund spent months tweaking recipes until she perfected her own unique version.

“I thought cinnamon rolls were a good idea because I was always disappointed with the rolls I had eaten – I thought they were too artificial or dry,” said Lund.

With “a delusional amount of optimism” and an Instagram account, Lunds officially launched. Amy and Eric worked their corporate day jobs, stayed up until 2:00 a.m. mixing dough in their small townhome, and spent their free hours dropping off delivery orders all over the Salt Lake Valley. Lund’s lifetime dream of owning a bakery had become her delicious reality.

“I’ve always dreamed of owning a bakery, I grew up baking with my mom and sisters, and it’s always been something I’ve loved. I spent about 10 years working in marketing, but baking was always my creative outlet,” said Lund.

Lund thought the “Dough Lady sounded cute, so she designed a “little logo” on Canva, and that is how the brand was born.

Recognizing their home-built setup as a viable long-term business required a significant leap of faith from the Lunds.

“I think the biggest leap of faith was believing that something we had built out of our home could actually become a real, sustainable bakery,” said Lund. “We grew slowly in the beginning. We went from porch pickups to parking lot meetups, farmers markets, and eventually a shared commercial kitchen.”

The Dough Lady quickly grew from a local pickup spot into a favorite at Salt Lake City pop-ups and the Downtown Farmers Market. As demand surged, Amy left her corporate desk job to focus full-time on the bakery full-time. Eric soon joined her to manage the business strategy and finances, turning their baking passion into the family’s full-time livelihood.

Lund said, “I left my corporate marketing career about a year after starting, which was a huge leap of faith in itself. By nature, I am risk averse, so leaving the stability of a job was extremely scary.”

The Lunds opened their first storefront in Millcreek in December 2024. The charming old bakery building has produced over a thousand cinnamon rolls daily, paving the way for the brand to expand with a second storefront in Lehi.

“Opening our first storefront in Millcreek was an entirely different level of scary. We had a new baby, a growing business, and suddenly a whole new set of responsibilities,” said Lund. “I remember looking out at the line down the block during our opening and feeling completely overwhelmed — both with gratitude and a wonder of how we were going to keep up.

“It was surreal to think that something we started in our little kitchen had become something people were genuinely excited about,” added Lund.

The drive to open the Lehi storefront came from a desire to meet the overwhelming demand from loyal Utah County fans who regularly made the long commute up to Millcreek.

“Lehi actually felt like a really natural next step for us,” said Lund. “We’d been doing frozen dough pickups in the area for years, so we already had an incredible customer base here.

“Lehi is also growing so quickly, and we loved the idea of growing alongside the community. We weren’t just looking for a place to open another store. We wanted somewhere we could really put down roots, and Lehi felt like the perfect fit.”

Lund continued, “When we found our location, it was honestly hard to beat. It backs right up to neighborhoods, which was a huge draw for us and faces a lot of companies which are kind of our sweet spot. We love the idea of being a neighborhood bakery, somewhere people can walk over for a cinnamon roll on a Saturday morning or stop by for coffee on their way to work.”

Despite the pressure of moving into a brand-new, modern retail space, the goal stayed the same: replicating the cozy, warm, hyper-local atmosphere that put them on the map.

The most popular item on the menu is the classic cinnamon roll. It is what the “Dough Lady” is known for.

“Our classic cinnamon roll will always be our bestseller, it’s what built the business, and there’s just something about a really good gooey cinnamon roll,” said Lund. “They’re packed with homemade fillings, incredibly soft and gooey dough, and topped with a generous amount of frosting.”

The grand opening of the Dough Lady’s second location in Lehi was a major success, drawing large crowds, long lines out the door, and it continues to “sell out.”

“We bake our rolls fresh every morning, and I think people can taste the difference. There are a lot of little details that go into making a great cinnamon roll, and we’re obsessive about all of them,” said Lund.

The Lehi location serves up a rotating menu of over 50 gourmet flavors—ranging from classic cinnamon and Brown Butter Chai to seasonal favorites like Pumpkin and Apple Pie—alongside their famous freezer section filled with take-and-bake dough.

Although the menu has expanded, Lund hopes the classic cinnamon roll will remain the favorite.

“I want to make the kind of cinnamon roll where every single bite is the good bite,” said Lund.

For Lund, the long lines stretching through the parking lot in Lehi are a humbling reminder of how far they’ve come from their townhouse kitchen.

“Six years later, we have two storefronts, a team of 43 employees, and a business that’s so much bigger than anything we could have imagined,” stated Lund.

She continued, “What’s been special is watching the business become something that means a lot to other people, too. We get messages from customers telling us our cinnamon rolls have become part of their Christmas morning traditions, birthday celebrations, or little weekend rituals. That means more to me than I can really explain.

“I love that we’ve been able to create jobs for so many incredible people. Getting to build something alongside a team of kind, hardworking people is one of the greatest privileges of my life.”

The Lunds are excited to be a part of the Lehi community. “we’re just really happy to be here.”

“Dough Lady is so much more than cinnamon rolls to us,” said Lund. “Eric and I have poured so much of our lives into building this business, and getting to share it with a new community is something we don’t take lightly.”

For the Lunds, every detail matters—whether it’s the perfect quality of a roll or the warmth of a greeting at the door.

“We want our bakery to be a place where people feel welcome, whether they’re grabbing a coffee on their way to work, picking up a treat for their kids, or bringing home frozen rolls for a special occasion,” said Lund.

Lund enjoys the community built around the Dough Lady, “one of my favorite things about this business is that food has this incredible ability to bring people together.”

“The vision has grown, but the heart behind it hasn’t changed. We still want to make really, really, good cinnamon rolls and create something that makes people feel happy, loved, and connected,” concluded Lund. “And if you haven’t tried our cinnamon rolls yet, I think you’re in for a treat.”