WINNSBORO – For those looking for a special holiday breakfast, look no further than sourdough cinnamon rolls with all organic ingredients and a donut glaze from the kitchen of Sweet Lolly Bakes, a specialty baking business that Lauren Stines operates out of her Winnsboro home.
Sweet Lolly Bakes has been in business for a couple of years, churning out sweet deserts and yummy breads that Stines’ customers can’t get enough of. And the baking judges at the S.C. State Fair agreed with those customers, handing Stines a blue ribbon last month for her increasingly popular cinnamon rolls.
“My love for baking began when I was a child hanging out in my Grandmother Cooke’s kitchen,” Stines says. “My grandmother didn’t have a baking business, but she had the gift of exceptional southern hospitality through her cooking and baking. She always called me Lolly, and after every meal she’d say, “Well, Lolly, let’s just have a little something sweet.”
And so, it was not happenstance that Stines, too, ended up as a baker. As the daughter of a preacher, Stines says she grew up ‘all over South Carolina,’ but attended middle and high school in Taylors. With a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and International Trade from Clemson and a Masters in Practical Theology from Pfeiffer University, she served a stint as a youth minister, “before the kids were born.”
While raising three kids, Stines says she’s spent a lot of time in the kitchen, which she loves.
Two years ago when a friend gifted her a pinch of sourdough starter, Stines said she felt overwhelmed and intimidated by the tiny living organism made of flour, water and time.
“I bugged my friend at all hours worrying if I had fed the starter correctly, if I was letting my dough proof long enough, or if I was shaping the dough correctly,” Stines says. “Thinking back, I had to learn a whole new vocabulary for this sudden interest.”
After burning through mountains of flour and sharing her new array of baked goods with all her neighbors, Stines says she was able to start producing breads and treats that she felt were really delicious.
“Last year, my friend Jenny Caldwell who, with her husband Mac, owns Caldwell Tree Farm in Winnsboro asked if I would like to sell cinnamon rolls at their tree farm, and my adventure in Sweet Lolly Bakes began!” Stines recalls with satisfaction.
“Throughout this year I’ve been a vendor with the Fairfield Farmers and Artisan Market in Winnsboro,” Stines says. “I’ve also been selling my cinnamon rolls at Meadow Lou Farm store on Saturdays, at Store 34 in Blair, and I’ve provided baked goods for our church, Village Church in Blythewood, and for the Fairfield Ag & Art farm-to-table dinner last summer.”
All the while, Stines says she’s gained baking experience, increased sales, and new confidence in her products that are developing a following.
“On a whim this past fall. I entered my sourdough cinnamon rolls into the South Carolina State Fair cinnamon roll category, and I won a blue ribbon!” she said. “I was shocked but thrilled that judges with baking expertise loved something that I had worked so hard in creating. Like many things that we invest our time in, baking can be such a vulnerable venture. You delve in, learning the rhythms, skills, and recipes while hoping your family enjoys the outcome. The moment you begin to share with others, it can be so nerve racking until you have a repeat customer tell you how your product impacted their life.”
Stines says her daughter always asks her what her favorite thing to bake is.
“The answer is that I love any new sourdough recipe, but I especially love baking scones,” she says. “They’re so yummy and extremely filling. In our house, we love the chocolate chip scones but my new orange and cranberry scones and pumpkin scones with a maple glaze have become a big hit, too. The French baguettes are such an easy thing to freeze and then pull out to make sandwiches or garlic toast.”
Stines’ husband Daniel, who serves as the Blythewood Town Administrator, admits that his favorite is his wife’s sourdough chocolate chip walnut cookies. Lauren Stines’ own favorite – and that she says she can make with her eyes closed – are the cinnamon rolls that are made with a brioche style dough and coated with a glazed donut icing.
“During this season of life, with homeschooling three kids under eight years old and a husband working in local government, baking ends up being the last thing in my day,” Stines says. “But the peace and calm it brings to my heart, allows me to relax and just enjoy the gift that I hope can bring joy and good health to others. I bake first for my family so that they can have healthy, organic bread and treats. But I love baking for others and would love to bake for other families this holiday season.
“My prayer is that my gift of sourdough allows families to linger a little longer at the table,” Stines says, “and then – in the words of my Grandmother Cooke – to ‘just have a little something sweet.’”
Stines’ cinnamon rolls will be available at the Caldwell’s Tree Farm on Friday, Nov. 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (3237 U.S. Hwy 321 N. in Winnsboro) and at Meadow Lou Farm on Dec. 7, from 10 – 2 (53 Meadow Lou Lane). Orders can also be placed by calling 843-377-6516 or emailing [email protected].
Prices for holiday offerings are listed below. All are sourdough made with organic ingredients.
- Artisan Boule $12
- Artisan Boule with inclusions $15
- Sandwich Loaf $10
- French Baguette $8
- 12 Cinnamon rolls $25
- 9 Dinner rolls $11
- 12 Scones $20
- 8 English Muffins $10
- Cinnamon Sugar Pull-apart Loaf $10
