Mmm...homemade bread

Who doesn't love homemade bread? (Minus those of you who are gluten intollerant and if you are I am so very sorry gluten hates you.  I have a good friend with Celiac and it's so sad to see what it does to her body. For that reason I will post some gluten free recipes I have that I absolutely love at a later date).


I have some dear friends that I don't get to see often enough so a few months ago we decided we would start a dinner club, assuring dates we'd be able to see each other's faces and catch up.  Once a month we get together at someone's house and have a big dinner, something homemade.  The person who hosts makes the entree then the rest of us sign up for sides, salads, bread and dessert.  When it was at my house my friend Becky brought some amazing homemade artisan bread.  I still can't stop drooling every time I think about it.  I grew up with homemade bread every week and have always wanted to try it but have been intimidated by it for some reason.  I bought a bread maker a few years back and it helped initiate me into the world of yeast and doughs and since, we have made many pizza doughs in it.  When I saw the beautiful bread my sweet friend made and heard about how easy it was I knew I had to try it!  So I did...and it's a.m.a.z.i.n.g! And now I get to be the one to bring homemade bread to people's houses and hear about how impressed they are with my bread-making skills (thanks Becky!).  What's even better is when I tell them it's 4 simple ingredients and is really easy.


This recipe makes 4 loaves and they keep great, as long as you seal them in a large ziplock bag.  Here is the best recipe I've found so far...
http://www.food.com/recipe/5-minute-artisan-bread-325571


If you have made any variations of this (putting other herbs in it, etc) I'd love to hear.