The smell hits first—that golden-crust sweetness that fills your kitchen like Saturday morning should. This sweet white bread isn’t fussy sourdough or overnight anything. It’s quick-bread magic: stir, pour, bake. Forty minutes later, you’ve got tender loaves with crisp sugared tops that crack under your thumb. My Asheville kitchen stays cold nine months a year, but this bread rises beautifully without yeast drama or proofing anxiety.
Two cups of sugar sounds bold until you taste it. This isn’t cake trying to be bread—it’s honest sweetness that works for breakfast toast, afternoon tea, or midnight snacking straight from the pan. The crumb stays soft for days, and the recipe scales down or up depending on whether you need six mini loaves for gifting or one big one for keeping.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No yeast, no waiting – Baking powder does the lifting work in minutes, not hours
- Pantry staples only – Flour, sugar, eggs, milk. Nothing exotic or expensive
- Foolproof texture – Tender crumb that doesn’t crumble or dry out
- Gift-ready – Mini loaves wrap beautifully and taste homemade because they are
Key Ingredients
White granulated sugar (2 cups) creates the signature sweetness and helps form that crackly top crust. Don’t reduce it—the bread needs this amount for proper structure and moisture. The sugar also keeps the crumb tender for days after baking.
All-purpose flour (4 cups) provides structure without toughness. Spoon it into your measuring cup instead of scooping directly from the bag. Scooping packs the flour, giving you up to 25% more than the recipe needs, which makes dense, dry bread. Spoon and level for accurate measurement every time.
Baking powder (2 tablespoons) is your leavening agent here. Check the expiration date—old baking powder won’t give you the rise you need. The bread should dome nicely in the oven, not stay flat.
Salt (1 teaspoon) balances all that sweetness and strengthens the flour’s gluten structure. Skip it and the bread tastes one-note and bland.
Eggs (2 large) bind everything together and add richness. Room temperature eggs mix more smoothly into the batter, but cold works fine if you’re in a hurry.
Milk (2 cups) creates moisture and tenderness. Whole milk gives the richest flavor, but 2% works well. The milk should be room temperature for even mixing, though I’ve used cold plenty of times without disaster.
Vegetable oil (⅔ cup) keeps the crumb soft and moist. Oil-based quick breads stay tender longer than butter-based ones. Use neutral oil—canola, vegetable, or light olive oil all work.
How to Make Sweet White Bread
Prep your pans first. Grease six mini loaf pans thoroughly with butter or cooking spray, getting into the corners. Set your oven to 350℉. Don’t skip preheating—quick breads need immediate heat to activate the baking powder properly.
Whisk the dry ingredients. Dump flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk for thirty seconds to distribute everything evenly. Those streaks of baking powder need to disappear completely, or you’ll get uneven rising and bitter pockets in the finished bread.
Beat the wet ingredients. Crack eggs into your large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Add milk and vegetable oil. Beat on low speed until just combined—maybe twenty seconds. You’re not making meringue here. The mixture looks thin and slightly frothy.
Combine wet and dry. Switch to your paddle attachment or grab a spatula. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture gradually, maybe a third at a time. Stir gently until you see no more dry flour pockets. The batter should look thick but pourable, like pancake batter. Lumps are fine. Overmixing makes tough bread with tunnels running through it.
Fill the pans. Pour batter into your prepared mini loaf pans, filling each about an inch below the rim. The bread rises as it bakes—overfill and you’ll get mushroom tops that spill over the edges. For a bakery-style finish, sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar across the top of each loaf. It melts and crystallizes into that crackly crust.
Bake until golden. Slide the pans onto the center oven rack. Set your timer for forty minutes. The tops should turn deep golden brown, and a toothpick poked into the center should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If you’re using different pan sizes, adjust timing: full-size loaves need 50-60 minutes, while muffin tins finish in 20-25 minutes.
Cool slightly before slicing. Let the loaves sit in their pans for five minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack. Slice while still warm if you can’t wait, but the texture improves after twenty minutes of cooling. The crumb sets properly and slices cleaner.
Tips & Variations
Measure flour correctly. Seriously. Spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife. Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour and ruins the texture.
Don’t overmix the batter. Stir until the dry ingredients just disappear. Overmixing develops gluten, which makes the bread tough and chewy instead of tender.
Check doneness early. Ovens vary wildly. Start checking at 35 minutes for mini loaves. The tops should spring back when pressed lightly, and the edges should pull away from the pan slightly.
Cinnamon swirl variation: Mix 3 tablespoons sugar with 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Pour half the batter into pans, sprinkle cinnamon sugar, add remaining batter, then swirl with a knife.
Lemon poppy seed version: Add 2 tablespoons poppy seeds and 1 tablespoon lemon zest to the dry ingredients. Replace ¼ cup milk with fresh lemon juice.
Storage & Pairings
Wrap cooled loaves tightly in plastic wrap. They keep at room temperature for four days or freeze for three months. Slice before freezing for easy grab-and-toast mornings. Serve with butter and jam, use for French toast, or toast slices and top with cream cheese. Pairs beautifully with hot coffee or cold milk.
FAQ
Can I make one large loaf instead of mini loaves?
Yes. Use a standard 9×5-inch loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Check doneness with a toothpick—it should come out clean. The center takes longer to cook through in a large loaf, so don’t rely on the timer alone.
Why is my bread dense and heavy?
You probably packed the flour by scooping directly from the bag. This adds too much flour, which makes dry, dense bread. Always spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off. Also check that your baking powder isn’t expired.
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The Last Slice
This sweet white bread delivers bakery results without bakery effort. Mix it in ten minutes, bake while you do other things, and pull out golden loaves that smell like childhood weekends. The recipe makes enough for sharing, but you might want to keep all six loaves for yourself. No judgment here.
Easy Sweet White Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease six mini loaf pans.
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat eggs, milk, and vegetable oil until combined in a large bowl.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring gently.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pans, filling each about an inch below the rim.
- Bake for about 40 minutes until tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pans for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.