30 Days of MD: Baking Sourdough Bread Is My Jam

Photo courtesy of Lisa D’Andrea

Day 16 of 30

This is Lisa D’Andrea’s (@burgiesgirl) story:

Six decades of living with Bethlem myopathy have taught me to doggedly pursue the things that make me happy. Being mobility-impaired has made me an expert in finding fun in the things that are in my immediate surroundings. When I stopped being able to drive about 10 years ago, I knew I could productively while away the hours spent at home by expanding my cooking skills. So, I got to work.

I made some very inexpensive changes that made my kitchen more friendly to cooking from a wheelchair. A folding banquet table covered in a vinyl tablecloth became the perfect roll-under countertop. A portable induction burner on a low table made it possible for me to actually see what I am cooking in the pot.

I married a foodie and I’m really proud that I haven’t bought soup or bread in the grocery store for many years. Soups and bread are some of my favorite things to make because they are slow, and time only makes them better. I am slow moving around the kitchen so we are a perfect match!

During the pandemic, I decided it was high time for me to try making something that really intimidated me: sourdough bread. I had a big case of FOMO — Fear Of Missing Out on this popular craze. I doubted whether my hands had the strength or dexterity to mix, knead, and shape the bread. I had to get my timing perfected such that when it was time to move the dough into or out of the refrigerator or screaming-hot oven that someone was around to help me.

I’ve been successfully baking one to two loaves of sourdough a week for over a year now. Every loaf is a one-of-a-kind piece of art that I pour my soul into and the process is so satisfying to me. I love to give my bread away as a gift to people that I really cherish. Everything that is me travels from my heart through my hands to make the bread. I couldn’t give away anything more meaningful and that is why bread is my jam.

Muscular Dystrophy News’ 30 Days of MD campaign will publish one story per day for MD Awareness Month in September. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more stories like this, using the hashtag #30DaysofMD, or read the full series.