The taste depends on what you put into it. Some is made with raisins, some with caraway seeds some with a bit of rye flour and I have even seen a recipe using Guiness stout...
Linda C

Mine isn't really sweet, although it does have raisins. I like the caraway seeds, my girls never did.

Really? It kind of reminds me of biscuits, a little. I'm not wild about it.

Annie

Maybe the ones I've had just haven't been from a great recipe, but they've been pretty dry and tasteless. I've never tried making it myself, however, so I have nothing else to compare with other than the couple I tried. It was a tiny bit sweet compared to plain bread, but I wouldn't call it "sweet".

Lisa

Like Annie said, it si very close to a biscuit, but I put caraway in and raisins in mine, so it has a different flavor. Personally, I love it and yes I have a terrific recipe....

Alexa

Sunday Best Irish Soda Bread by Martha Stewart

1 loaf
By adding egg, sugar, caraway seeds, and butter to a traditional Irish soda bread recipe, you create a loaf that is fit for a Sunday breakfast or brunch. Wrapped well with plastic wrap, it can be stored at room temperature until the last crumb is eaten. Like all Irish soda breads, this freezes well.

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
2 cups golden or dark raisins
1 1/2 scant cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream

1. Heat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and caraway seeds until well combined.
   
2. Using a pastry cutter or two knives in scissor fashion, cut in butter until the mixture feels like coarse meal. Stir in raisins until evenly distributed.
   
3. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and baking soda until well combined. Pour buttermilk mixture into the flour-and-butter mixture all at once, and stir with a fork until all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture begins to hold together. It should resemble a rough biscuit dough. Using your hands, press the dough into a round, dome-shaped loaf about 8 inches in diameter. Lift the loaf from the bowl, and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
   
4. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk and cream together. With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the loaf. With a sharp knife or razor, incise a cross, about 1/2 inch deep, into the top of the loaf. Transfer to the oven. Bake, rotating halfway through, until it is deep golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center, about 70 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer bread from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool.

It reminds me of a scone. I have a recipe that has cardamon in it. Add 1/8 tsp cardamon or coriander to the mix.
Clare

This is my favorite recipe. The first time I made it, it was for a dinner party. Some of my friends laughed because it seemed to be hard as a rock. I had the last laugh because when you cut into it, it was moist and delicious!

Irish Soda Bread

2 C. flour
2 T. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 T. butter, softened
1/2 C. seedless raisins
1 C. buttermilk
1T. butter melted

Preheat oven 375

Mix first five ingredients until well blended. Cut in softened butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Add raisins. Add buttermilk mixing with fork only until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knead gently until smooth...about 1 minute. Shape into ball. Place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten into 7" circle. Dough will be about 1 1/2" thick. Press large floured knife across center halfway through to bottom of dough. Repeat at right angle to divide dough in 1/4's.

Bake 30-40min. or until top is golden and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Place on rack to cool...brush with melted butter. When completely cooled, dust with flour.

So it's basically just a giant scone? I love scones but my one attempt at soda bread was a flop. It was crumbly and tasteless. That recipe was made in a bread pan though.

I have tried over 20 recipes..and as Lisa said, some of them are rather dry! That's why they slather butter all over it..
I use a non traditional one..with eggs, raisins and caraway..
I made 50 of them last year for my gson Declan's Christening in March...

I made loaf size, easier to wrap..but round is the traditional with the cross slashed..

I posted the recipe on my blog where I started celebrating St.Pat's on the 1st! Irish tablesetting etc...

Here is a link that might be useful: Irish Soda Bread Recipe

kathleen_li, I already printed out your recipe from your blog. I couldn't sleep last night and stayed up for several hours looking at your blog--drooling the entire time. You are very talented. Thank you for sharing your recipes. So do you have a ton of dishes??

Does she have a ton of dishes? ROFLMAO......

Yeah, she has a ton of dishes. (grin)

Tell her, Kathleen.

Annie

Yes, I have a ton of dishes..

Now I can start recovery!! Annie..:)

Thank you Trudymom, it is fun, esp during the winter..once it warms up I have to work outside! So the blog will get neglected..
My family is spread out over the US, so they like to look...
My husband never does!! He says living it through it is enough!

I worked at an Irish restaurant when I was18-22 and they had soda bread in the bread basket all yr long but it was on the dry side. Years later I looked for a recipe that had the flavor but a bit more moisture and finally I hit on one that i now make as a rule every St pats. The two finalist recipes were very good and so close that I had to dye one green to distinguish it from the other [and I put a green dot on the recipe to match so I would know!] In the end the one I really love has a great crust and a lovely moist texture and I make at least a dozen every year to give to neighbors, bus drivers, teachers, friends. It's a hit. Oh and I use 2/3 golden raisins and 1/3 regular which makes it even better.

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1/2 cup white sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups raisins
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch round cast iron skillet or a 9 inch round baking or cake pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour (reserving 1 tablespoon), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, raisins and caraway seeds. In a small bowl, blend eggs, buttermilk and sour cream. Stir the liquid mixture into flour mixture just until flour is moistened. Knead dough in bowl about 10 to 12 strokes. Dough will be sticky. Place the dough in the prepared skillet or pan and pat down. Cut a 4x3/4 inch deep slit in the top of the bread. Dust with reserved flour
Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 65 to 75 minutes. Let cool and turn bread onto a wire rack.

From Allrecipes submitted by Ellen J

I divide it in half and make 6 inch round loaves so I can share share share

The recipe I have reminds me a lot of a scone. Most of the sweetness comes from the raisins or, as I used this past weekend, dried cranberries.

I made 8 soda breads yesterday morning the house smelled so good....cant wait to break them open. Making 2 Shepherds pie today and the rest of the meal will put up tommorrow morning.

Hey, Trudy, saw your comment on my bread over at Holidays..thanks, and glad you liked it..:)

I don't like raisins, so I made a savory Soda Bread for dinner last night.

The recipe was posted by Linda on her How to Cook a Wolf Blog.

Herbed White Soda Bread
Recipe by Darina Allen

Source: Linda- How to Cook a Wolf

Ingredients
3 1/4 cups unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons freshly chopped herbs, such as rosemary, sage, thyme, chives, and parsley
12 to 14 ounces buttermilk

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a
large bowl, make a well in the center and pour all of the buttermilk in at once. Using 1 hand, stir
in a full circle starting in the center of the bowl working towards the outside of the bowl until
all the flour is incorporated. The dough should be soft but not too wet and sticky. When it all
comes together, a matter of seconds, turn it out onto a well-floured board. WASH AND DRY YOUR HANDS.
Roll dough around gently with floured hands for a second, just enough to tidy it up, flip the dough
over. Pat the dough into a round about 1 1/2-inches deep. Sprinkle a little flour onto the center of
a baking sheet and place the loaf on top of the flour. Cut a deep cross on it with a sharp knife,
prick the four sections to let the fairies out. Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make
sure of this. (This is important...you must let the fairies out!)

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until
just cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread: if it is cooked it will sound hollow.
Cool on a wire rack.

That looks good Ann, just beautiful. I was just thinking about things to do with all the chives coming up in the yard, as I was sitting here getting ready to go sit out there with the dog on this nice day. Smiles.

It tastes so good! I'm not Irish, however this makes me love Ireland! It's especially good when warm!