The Best Homemade Bread

We don't usually keep bread in the house since I end up incorporating it into every single meal or snack I consume. We'll sometimes buy a small loaf on the weekends though, for something specific like french toast or BLTs, so I won't be as inclined to carbo load and ruin a potential meal. A couple of weeks back I made Alton Brown's "very basic bread," which was a flavorful, rustic-white loaf that begged to be topped with ricotta, tomatoes and basil for an easy dinner.

P.S. Also fancy toast, four ways.