17 February 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – A local Topeka woman is taking her baking skills to the next level with the opening of a new business in the Fairlawn Plaza Mall centered around her tasty cinnamon rolls.
27 News spoke with Amanda Scully about the opening of her new business: Amanda’s Rolls Bakery Cafe. Scully said she has a large background in criminal justice and psychology, but found her true calling with baking after a strange set of circumstances.
Like so many others, Scully was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. After she was laid off from her job, she said she found it difficult to make ends meet and bad luck came her way when she needed a root canal.
“I was trying to come up with a way to make a large amount of money as soon as possible to be able to pay for that,” Scully said.
Scully began brainstorming ways to make some money. Making enchiladas, tamales and bierocks were among the ideas she considered before finally landing on cinnamon rolls.
“Aside from Pillsbury cans, I have never baked,” Scully said. “I stayed up and I researched the highly-rated recipes online and analyzed what they had in common.”
Scully said she put together a recipe after days of research plus trial and error for her family to try. She focused not so much on measuring everything out, but instead went by texture, taste and feel to find the best method for creating the best cinnamon rolls. Soon, she was selling them by the dozen to friends and family, switching to dinner rolls during the holiday season.
Scully’s list of clients began to grow with people placing orders from across Kansas and even into Missouri.
“If the order is big enough to warrant driving down there, I will take it to them,” Scully said. “I haven’t put anything for sale that’s more than a day old. When you get your cinnamon roll, it’s as close to coming out of the oven as possible.”
For Scully, baking is only part of the fun. She said she mainly enjoys meeting new people and making them feel good.
“My customers, my eaters, they’re amazing, they’re the reason I’m here,” Scully said. “I just feel like this is what I was made to do.”
It wasn’t until about four months ago that Scully considered taking her business up a notch. She had outgrown her kitchen at home and needed more space to bake her goods and sell them to customers. With the help of some investors, Scully looked at moving into a spot in the Fairlawn Plaza Mall.
Scully said she doesn’t have set hours yet or a menu for her business. Instead, she will be baking different treats every day and keep a running list of what’s fresh in her shop. Items like specialty breads, cupcakes, cookies, panini sandwiches, soups and chili can also be found at her bakery. Scully said she would consider setting hours and hiring staff to help her, depending on how well the bakery does.
Scully said she plans to debut her business on March 1 at 4 p.m. While you’re waiting for Amanda’s Rolls Bakery Cafe to open, check out her Facebook profile here. You can also reach out to her through email at [email protected] and by phone at 785-580-8221.
Scully is the mother of three children and has been married to her husband for 22 years. She originally comes from Southwest Kansas, moving to Topeka in 2009 to pursue law school.