I'm all for making bread at home, but... if you want truly excellent bread, you need a professional (read: hot) oven. No getting around it.
For me, the best bread I've ever had in the US (and continued to have, for several years) was from the bakery attached to Balthazar in NYC. While the restaurant is pricey, the bakery is not, and the products rival that of any boulagerie in Paris.
I highly recommend it. :-: