I've been baking nearly all my own bread for years now, except occasional muffins and baguettes. I've acquired a hand mixer with dough hooks so I've not actually kneaded for a while now, other than the knocking back and shaping after the rise. I tend to just make it up as I go along, and use all types of yeast and mixes of ingredients. It's fun to see how it comes out. Worst case you let it go stale in the fridge and make bread crumbs.
I also have a sourdough starter that I've had for about 5 years, which I neglect in the fridge. It can take quite a while to get it going, but it is properly face tighteningly sour!
Best bit of kit after the mixer is the pizza stone I use to put the tins on, heats the dough up faster for a better oven bounce/spring. And preheat the oven as much as possible, have some steam in it unless you want a soft crust. Turn the oven down later to make sure it bakes through if it's a heavier dough, with lots of wholemeal or oats or grains added.