How long after the "sell-by" date is it okay to eat bread?

[Compey]

I bought a few loaves of sliced wholemeal from Morrisons on 6th January which are dated for 10th January. Today is 19th January and the last loaf is still soft and fresh with no sign of mould at all.

They must be putting in some clever stuff to make bread last so long!

Is it safe to eat bread that's so far beyond its sell-by date?

I would like to know because bread is one of the main things which determines when I place a home delivery order.

If it's not mouldy it's fine.

Agree if no mould it's fine. Freeze down and use it for toast?

It's fine, I keep bread in the fridge which makes me an abomination according to some but it lasts way longer and is soft when it's left out for a bit. Reduced loaves are frozen and I take a few slices out at a time to defrost and use.

No mould it'll be fine.

No mould = fine. I used some wraps yesterday which were dated 12 Jan, they were fine warmed up.
I bought a loaf of bread from M and S today and stupidly didn't check dates - it is best before today. It's a bit stale already.

They must be putting in some clever stuff to make bread last so long!

Yes, they do, you only need the first 4 to make bread:

Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast, Soya Flour, Preservative (Calcium Propionate), Emulsifier (Mono- and Diacetyltartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Wheat Flour, Flour Treatment (Ascorbic Acid), Folic Acid

you eat bread until its mouldy. The you pick off the mouldy bits and still eat it if its 2am and you need toast

Even if you can't see mould, it doesn't mean it isn't mouldy.

Okay so the mould is not a problem.

How can my "miracle" loaf manage to last well 15 days beyond its Sell-By date and it's still going strong?

It's still soft, moist and not stale without any sign of mould. Doesn't smell funny. I've moved on to use a fresher loaf but am watching this one as an experiment!

With bread like this I don't need such frequent supermarket deliveries and don't need to use the freezer either! It's a miracle. :)

Just eat it.

I had planned to say 'Surely, you bake your own bread [clutches pearls]' but I'd probably get a

No mould no problem. I have been known to pick tiny bits of mould off if I'm making toast..

DS2 gave me a good tip. Smell it - don't just look for mould. Apparently as bread goes off if develops a sweet smell. Something to do with bacteria increasing glucose.

Don't delicately sniff an individual slice - stick your face into the bag and inhale deeply.