Following a goalless first period, Mark Marshall fired City into the lead five minutes after the interval with a fine finish from just outside the box.
Burton striker Marcus Dinanga levelled for the Brewers later in the half but the Bantams responded virtually straight away when Marshall scored again with a curling strike from distance at the end of City's very next attack.
Reece Webb-Foster made sure of the points shortly before the end when he superbly lobbed the ball over Burton 'keeper Sam Hornby from the edge of the area after being picked out by Xander McBurnie.
Along with Marshall, fellow first team squad members Billy Knott, Christopher Routis and Greg Leigh also featured in the game.
With Bantams boss Phil Parkinson and Brewers manager Nigel Clough watching from the sidelines on a gloriously sunny afternoon at the training base of the England national side, both City and Burton contested a fairly even opening period.
McBurnie fired over from just outside the box after he was teed up by Dylan Mottley-Henry, while Burton's best chance of the half came when Jack Hallahan sent the ball over following Devarn Green's cross into the box.
Marshall then drove wide of the far post with a low angled drive towards the end of the first half after latching onto Webb-Foster's pass.
City visibly seemed to step things up from the very start of the second half, with Webb-Foster seeing a shot repelled by Hornby a minute or so after the restart from Marshall's low cross into the area.
Marshall was responsible for City's opener shortly afterwards when Sumaili Cissa's deflected pass dropped into his path and he drove forward before firing low past Hornby from just outside the box.
Webb-Foster nearly doubled the Bantams' advantage minutes later but he could only head at Hornby after his run behind Burton's defence was picked out by a searching pass from deep by Knott.
Burton equalised against the run of play midway through the half after Tom Camblen found Dinanga in space inside the box with a pass and the striker fired confidently past Joe Cracknell.
City roared back into the lead less than a minute later, however, when Marshall drove in-field from the left wing before curling in a low drive from just outside the box that beat Hornby before nestling into the far bottom corner.
Marshall could have claimed a hat-trick soon afterwards when Cissa smartly left a McBurnie forward pass to leave the attacker in space inside the box. Marshall fired for goal but his shot was blocked by Hornby.
The chances continued to come for City as the half progressed, with Webb-Foster beating Charlie Gatter to Cracknell's bouncing kick forward before driving into space inside the area.
Webb-Foster squared for an unmarked Cissa but the attacker fired wide from roughly twelve yards out.
McBurnie sent a looping drive from distance narrowly over the bar later on, while Cracknell held a Hallahan drive by his near post at the other end after the Burton attacker had got the better of Kwame Boateng.
Webb-Foster made certain of victory for City in the final minute of normal time when his run forward was found by McBurnie and the striker expertly lofted the ball over Hornby with a stunning lobbed effort from the edge of the box.
CITY XI
1. Joe Cracknell
2. Daniel Devine
3. Greg Leigh
4. James King
5. Christopher Routis
8. Xander McBurnie
9. Reece Webb-Foster
10. Sumaili Cissa
11. Dylan Mottley-Henry
15. Mark Marshall
20. Billy Knott
Substitutes:
14. Ville Moilanen
16. Tom Windle
17. Kwame Boateng
19. Niah Payne
Goals:
Marshall (50,70) Webb-Foster (89)
Substitutions:
Windle for Knott (81), Boateng for Leigh (83), Moilanen for Mottley-Henry (87), Payne for Cissa (87)