Description

This recipe creates four distinct sweet mini loaves from one versatile base dough. Each loaf features different flavor add-ins including Cranberry Orange, Eggnog, Cherry Almond, and Banana Nut. These tender and moist mini loaves are perfect for gifting, breakfast, or a delightful snack, baked to golden perfection in individual pans.

Ingredients

Scale

Sweet Bread Base Dough

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
3 eggs
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar

Cranberry Orange Add-ins

1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons orange juice

Eggnog Add-ins

1/4 cup prepared eggnog
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon rum

Cherry Almond Add-ins

1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

Banana Nut Add-ins

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup mashed overripe banana

Instructions

Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare your mini loaf pan by spraying it with nonstick baking spray to ensure easy removal of the breads after baking.
Prepare base dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vegetable oil until well blended. Gradually add the wet ingredients and both sugars to the flour mixture, stirring gently just until combined to avoid tough bread from overmixing.
Mix Cranberry Orange batter: Pour approximately 3/4 to 1 cup of the base batter into a large pyrex measuring cup. Gently fold in fresh cranberries, orange zest, and orange juice without overmixing. Pour this mixture into one section of the mini loaf pan. Repeat for the three other sections with different add-ins.
Mix Eggnog batter: Rinse the measuring cup, then pour in another 3/4 to 1 cup of base batter. Stir in prepared eggnog, nutmeg, and rum gently. Pour into the second section of the mini loaf pan.
Mix Cherry Almond batter: Clean the measuring cup again and pour in 3/4 to 1 cup of base batter. Fold in sliced almonds, chopped maraschino cherries, and cherry juice carefully. Transfer to the third section of the pan.
Mix Banana Nut batter: After rinsing, pour the remaining 3/4 to 1 cup base batter into the cup. Stir in baking soda, vanilla extract, chopped pecans, and mashed banana until just combined. Pour into the last section of the pan.
Bake: Place the mini loaf pan in the oven and bake for 25-28 minutes, until the loaves are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool and store: Remove from the oven and cool the loaves in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack before packaging in mini bread bags or serving.

Notes

Do not over mix the batter to keep the loaves tender and avoid toughness.
Use a mini loaf pan with four sections; ensure each section is evenly filled to get uniform loaves.
The batter quantities for each flavored loaf are roughly 3/4 to 1 cup to match the size of the pan sections.
Allow the loaves to cool completely before removing from the pan or storing to maintain their shape and texture.
This recipe yields four mini loaves, perfect for sharing or gifting.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Category: Baking
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: sweet mini loaves, cranberry orange bread, eggnog bread, cherry almond bread, banana nut loaf, holiday mini loaves, easy bread recipe