Does Refrigeration Ruin Bread?

For people who never toast bread, refrigeration ruins it faster. For people who always toast bread, refrigeration keeps it usable longer.

I'm in the latter category, I can attest to a loaf of "french bread" being perfectly fine in the fridge for about 3 weeks.

In humid climates bread molds quickly and unrefrigerated bread turns green in a couple of days.

For sliced bread, I pull 3-4 slices (roughly a day's usage) out of the freezer and put those in a ziploc bag in the fridge.

In France, baguettes are bought daily. The next day, they are hard as rock. But a few minutes in the oven crisps them up on the outside, and softens the interior. Almost as good as fresh ones from the boulangerie.