Lynden Dutch Bakery
For 111 years, Lynden Dutch Bakery has been serving communities north of the greater Seattle area. Originally, the bakery made and distributed bread for most people living north of Everett. As co-owner Chad Simmons said, the shop began as a subsistence establishment. One hundred years ago, there weren’t many choices when it came to where you got your bread in this part of the state. Today, the Lynden Dutch Bakery has moved from the market of necessity into that of decadence.
The small shop is decorated with shelves of traditional Dutch pastries like oliebollen and speculaas in addition to crowd pleasers like donuts, scones, and pies. Similar to other Lynden Front Street establishments, the shop has an air of familiarity between customers and employees. “It is an institution,” Simmons said. While Chad and wife Julee have owned the shop for only the last three years, the Lynden Dutch Bakery has become a staple of the community since it opened in 1907. The longevity of the shop is rooted in the commitment to following a scratch made process. While technology has certainly advanced since 1907, the bakery has kept many of its recipes and baking processes the same. “We make the very best with the best ingredients,” Simmons said. The shop is named the best bakery in Lynden by TripAdvisor and has been named by the Seattle Times as one of five worth stopping-for pies in western Washington.
Guests of Lynden Dutch Bakery will have a hard time picking just one sweet treat. Options include pies, donuts, fritters, cakes, and seemingly countless more. The wide variety of scones are some of the shop’s most popular items, Simmons said. “I hated scones before I started coming here.” Rather than the dry, hard biscuit-like pastry many people are used to, Lynden Dutch Bakery’s “soft scones” are light and moist. While a delightful addition to a cup of coffee, the scones don’t require any coffee dunking to get through. The raspberry white chocolate scone is the most popular and a good place to start when visiting the bakery. A more traditional Dutch option is the oliebollen, which literally translates to “oil sphere.” “Oil sphere” might not sound tasty, but it sure is delicious. The treats are essentially a Dutch donut, but without the American-style size and shape.
Lynden Dutch Bakery also has options for visitors missing their sweet tooth. Breakfast items like eggs, bacon, and breakfast sandwiches incorporate in-house made bread and bagels. The shop pours a Fidalgo Coffee Roasters speciality breakfast blend. Incorporating, as well as supporting, other local businesses is important to the Simmons. Fruit pies use berries grown just a few miles from the shop, and the owners sell many of their pastries to local businesses for wholesale. Espresso stands like Cruisin Coffee sell Lynden Dutch Bakery products. “Having a business that has been here for so long brings people together for generations. I don’t even claim ownership here, I’m just trying to keep us competitive,” Simmons said.
Beyond inviting visitors in for an afternoon treat or as a stop on their morning commute, Lynden Dutch Bakery caters for events, weddings, and company parties at a reasonable cost. From an intimate birthday celebration to a wedding for 600, the shop is equipped to fill the order.
421 Front St., Lynden 360.354.3911 | lyndendutchbakery.com
