I'm by no means a master baker but I do love fresh bread and bake it as often as I have time. I'll recommend:
Thier method is fairly simple. I only recently got this book and have only made The Master Recipe Boule (I'm pretty sure you can find the recipe and video of the authors making it on thier site and elsewhere to give it a try). I was impatient and made a boule the first day which was not impressive. The one I made on day 3 tasted much better and I think they would only improve into the 14 day period (I got busy and went out of town so I lost my dough).
Here is one of my favorite bread recipes. It looks complicated but it is really VERY easy, just a bit time consuming and oh so worth it! I've always used the dry minced onion, rehydrated, instead of fresh because I think it adds a better punch of flavor. I also always make more filling than called for and try to put as much in that will fit while still being able to seal the strips. Before I owned a stand mixer, I used a hand mixer and that worked just fine.
Onion Lover's Twist
Bread
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 pkg. active dry yeast
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1 egg
Filling
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1 cup finely chopped onions or 1/4 cup instant minced onion
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon sesame or poppy seed (I prefer poppy seed)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1.Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast; mix well. In small saucepan, heat water, milk and 1/4 cup margarine until very warm (120 to 130°F.). Add warm liquid and egg to flour mixture; blend at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.
2.By hand, stir in remaining 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups flour to form a soft dough. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80 to 85°F.) until light and doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes.
3.Grease large cookie sheet. Melt 1/4 cup margarine in small saucepan; stir in all remaining filling ingredients. Set aside.
4.Stir down dough to remove all air bubbles. On floured surface, toss dough until no longer sticky. Roll dough into 18x12-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle in half crosswise to make two 12x9-inch rectangles; cut each rectangle into three 9x4-inch strips.
5.Spread about 2 tablespoons onion mixture over each strip to within 1/2 inch of edges. Bring lengthwise edges of each strip together to enclose filling; pinch edges and ends to seal.
6.On greased cookie sheet, braid 3 rolls together; pinch ends to seal. Repeat with remaining 3 rolls for second loaf. Cover; let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, 25 to 30 minutes.
7.Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover dough. Bake 27 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Brush with melted butter if desired for a glossy surface. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; cool on wire racks for 1 hour or until completely cooled.