It's got a nice compact size. It's fast to fix. It's versatile. It's moist and loaded with flavor.

It's hard to think of a easier-to-prepare and more welcome baked good than quick bread: Pack a slice of blueberry bread in the kids' lunch tote. Serve a loaf of cherry-almond for breakfast on the weekend. Deliver Orange-Pecan Tea Bread as a thank-you. Carry Praline Apple Bread to a trivia night for dessert.

In late summer, every gardener is making zucchini bread in all its varieties, but let's not forget the rest of the year, when it's easy to start with a basic quick bread recipe and add dried fruit. Or, turn in the opposite direction and make a savory bread, using the same recipe, with pesto sauce and Parmesan to accompany a pasta dish.

Sometimes, all it takes is one good recipe. So, what you'll find here is a quick bread you can turn into almost a dozen different loaves, as well as single recipes for some of the breads mentioned above.

This quick bread is simple, and the use of buttermilk helps ensure a moist and flavorful texture. You can turn it into a variety of other types of quick bread, including several savory versions. The recipes and information come from a food blog called Apartmenttherapy.com.

Basic Buttermilk Quick Bread

2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (4 ounces) white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, olive oil or vegetable oil

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray with nonstick cooking spray a standard 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Melt the butter, if using. Whisk it in a separate bowl with the buttermilk and the egg.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients. Gently stir and fold the ingredients until all the flour has been incorporated and a shaggy, wet batter is formed. Be careful not to over-mix.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and pat it into the corners. Bake 45-50 minutes. When finished, the loaf should be domed and golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing and slicing.

Wrap baked cooled loaves tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Baked loaves also can be wrapped in plastic and aluminum foil and frozen for up to three months.

Basic Variations

Sugar can be reduced to 1 tablespoon for more savory breads.

Up to half the flour can be substituted with an alternative flour.

Use up to 1 1/2 cups fruits, nuts, olives, cheese, or other ingredients, added to the dry ingredients.

Use 1-3 teaspoons herbs or spices, added to the dry ingredients.

10 Variations

1. Cranberry-Walnut Loaf -- 1 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup toasted and chopped walnuts, 1 teaspoon vanilla, zest from one orange

2. Apple-Cinnamon Loaf -- 1 cup diced apples, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 cup toasted and chopped nuts

3. Cherry-Almond Loaf -- 1 cup dried cherries, 1/2 cup toasted and chopped almonds, 1 teaspoon almond extract

4. Blueberry Loaf -- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, 1 teaspoon vanilla, zest from one lemon

5. Ginger-Orange Loaf -- Zest from two oranges, 1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, pinch of cloves, pinch of nutmeg

6. Herbed Sun-dried Tomato and Cheese Loaf -- Reduce sugar to 1 tablespoon, 1/2 cup grated cheese, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 2 tablespoons minced sun-dried tomatoes

7. Onion-Dill Loaf -- Reduce sugar to 2 tablespoons, one minced onion cooked until soft, 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

8. Pesto Loaf -- Reduce sugar to 1 tablespoon, 1/4 cup pesto, 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

9. Spicy Jalapeno Loaf -- Reduce sugar to 2 tablespoons, 1/4 cup minced jalapeno peppers, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 2 teaspoons chili powder

10. Irish Soda Bread Look-Alike Loaf -- Reduce sugar to 1/4 cup, 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, 3/4 cup raisins

--apartmenttherapy.com

Orange-Pecan Tea Bread

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

3 tablespoons low-fat milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons orange marmalade

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

2 large eggs

Cooking spray

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons fresh orange juice

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped pecans, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 5 ingredients (flour through allspice) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; make a well in center of mixture. Combine granulated sugar and the next 7 ingredients (sugar through eggs), stirring with a whisk; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

3. Spoon batter into an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake 45 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring until smooth. Drizzle glaze over bread, and sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons pecans.

-- Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light, April 2004

For this recipe, make sure to use a larger, 9- or 10-inch loaf pan so the batter doesn't overflow.

Lemon Coconut Quick Bread

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest (or more if you want a bigger kick of lemon)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick or 1/4 pound butter, melted

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt using a rubber spatula, then stir in the sugar and coconut.

3. In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture, stirring just until combined.

5. Add the melted butter and stir just until smooth; do not over-mix.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted near the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 60 to 75 minutes. Ovens vary, so start checking to see if it's done after about 50 minutes. If the top of the loaf is getting very brown and the center isn't cooked yet, cover it lightly with a piece of aluminum foil.

7. Let the bread cool on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes and then carefully remove it from the pan. Wail until it's completely cool to make slicing easier. Store in an airtight container for 3 days, or wrap in plastic and/or aluminum foil, pop in a plastic zipper bag and freeze.

-- Farmgirlfare.com

For this delightful British tea bread recipe, you'll have to start the night before steeping the dried fruit in tea.

EARL GREY TEA LOAF

6 Earl Grey tea bags

14 ounces dried fruit, such as raisins, golden raisins, cherries, cranberries

1 orange

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided use

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon quality pumpkin pie spice

1 whole nutmeg, for grating

1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put 4 tea bags in a measuring cup and add 1 1/4 cups boiling water. Leave to brew for a few minutes, then remove tea bags.

Put the dried fruit into a large mixing bowl, grate over the zest of the orange and pour over the hot tea. Cover and leave overnight.

Whisk the egg and add to the bowl of fruit along with 1 cup sugar.

Add the flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice and a few good gratings of nutmeg, and squeeze in the juice of the orange. Mix until a dough-like consistency (it might seem a bit dry).

Spoon the mixture into a 4-cup loaf pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until cooked through, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Put the 2 remaining tea bags into a pan with 3/4 cup water and the zest and juice of the lemon. Gently bring to a boil, removing the tea bags after a few minutes.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and bring to a boil without stirring -- keep it on a steady medium heat so that you have a steady boil for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture has reduced by half and you have a golden syrup. Pour this into a measuring cup.

As soon as the loaf comes out of the oven, poke little holes in the top and pour the syrup over the loaf. Once the syrup has absorbed, turn loaf onto wire rack and cool. Serves 12.

-- "Jaime Oliver's Great Britain: 130 of My Favorite British Recipes, From Comfort Food to New Classics" (Hyperion Books)

WHITE CHOCOLATE-CRANBERRY BREAD

6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup buttermilk

Grated zest of 1 orange

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 teaspoons pure vanilla

1 cup fresh or frozen whole cranberries, not thawed

1 cup toasted, skinned, coarsely chopped hazelnuts

1 cup white chocolate chips

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour a 9-by-9-by-3-inch loaf pan and tap out excess flour.

Melt and cool the chopped white chocolate.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer set on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

One at a time, beat in the eggs, beating well after each addition, and scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.

Beat in the buttermilk, followed by the tepid white chocolate, orange zest and juice and vanilla. The mixture will look curdled.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and beat just until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Stir in the cranberries, hazelnuts and white chocolate chips.

Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake until a bamboo skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 90 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes before inverting and unmolding bread. Serves 10.

-- "Tate's Bake Shop Baking for Friends," by Kathleen King

PRALINE-APPLE BREAD

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 (8-ounce) container sour cream

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups finely chopped, peeled Granny Smith apples ( 3/4 pound)

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 1/2 cup pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan for 6 to 8 minutes, or until toasted and fragrant, stirring after 4 minutes.

Beat sour cream and the next three ingredients on low speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until blended.

Stir together the flour and next three ingredients.

Add to sour cream mixture, beating just until blended. Stir in apple and 1/2 cup toasted pecans. Spoon batter into a greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with remaining pecans. Lightly press pecans into batter.

Bake 60 to 65 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, shielding with aluminum foil after 50 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Cool in pan 10 minutes.

Remove from pan to wire rack.

Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat, and spoon over top of bread. Makes 1 loaf.

-- "Southern Living Home Cooking Basics: Great Food Made Simple" (Oxmoor House)

IOZZA'S CORN AND BACON LOAF

12 ounces hardwood-smoked bacon, coarsely chopped

1 ear corn, husked

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/4 cups whole milk

3 large eggs

2 cups grated sharp white Cheddar, divided use

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh chives

Salted butter, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the bacon in a large heavy saute pan over medium heat for 8 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels. Brush loaf with bacon drippings from the pan. Set aside 1/2 cup of bacon drippings to cool.

Slice the corn kernels off the cob. You should have 1 cup.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne pepper in a large bowl to blend. Whisk the milk, the eggs and reserved bacon drippings in another large bowl. To this stir in the bacon, 1 1/2 cups cheese, corn and chives. Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture just until blended. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle tops with remaining cheese. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve with butter.

If baking these as muffins, bake for 18 minutes. Makes 1 loaf.

-- "Relaxed Cooking With Curtis Stone" (Clarkson Potter)