Basic bread needs few ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast (or time, if you prefer sourdough). The rest is technique—how wet the dough is, how long it rests, and how hot the oven runs.
A common beginner mistake is adding flour until the dough feels easy to knead. Often that makes the loaf dense. A slightly sticky dough, handled with a bench scraper or wet hands, can rise into an open, airy crumb.
You do not need fancy equipment. A heavy pot with a lid can mimic a bakery oven by trapping steam for a crackly crust. The smell of baking bread is its own reward; slicing while it is still too warm is a guilty pleasure most home bakers allow themselves once.