I've been baking bread for over 25 years. During that time I've experimented with different flour, yeast, oil, butter, and sweeteners. I've baked bread with whole milk, skim milk, powdered milk, and water.
I've kneaded the dough by hand, in a Kitchenaid stand mixer, and even with a breadmaker. I started by following "the rules" of breadmaking. Now I just do my own thing.