Bread has a long list of gear you can buy and a short list that changes your results. This page tries to keep those two straight.
Each of these fixes a specific, common problem
The single biggest upgrade. Cup measurements for flour vary enormously depending on how you scoop, which means your dough is a different recipe every time.
Fixes: inconsistent dough that behaves differently on every bake.
A heavy covered pot traps the loaf's own steam for the first part of the bake. That's what gives you oven spring and a crackly crust at home.
Fixes: pale, soft crusts and loaves that never rise in the oven.
Cheap, unglamorous, and the difference between handling a wet dough and fighting it. Also the fastest way to clean a counter.
Fixes: sticky dough panic and over-flouring during shaping.
Real improvements, but not where to start
Supports a shaped loaf while it proofs and leaves the spiral pattern people recognise. A bowl lined with a floured tea towel does the same job for free.
Scores cleanly without dragging. A very sharp knife works; a dull one is why your score closed up.
Most home ovens are not the temperature they say. Worth knowing by how much before you blame the recipe.