Staling is not drying; bread hardens mainly because starch gelatinised in baking recrystallises and because moisture moves from crumb to crust. According to the reviews, the staling rate moves in the opposite direction to temperature: it speeds up going from room temperature to fridge temperature, which is why a fridge shelf hardens bread quickly. Minus 18 °C lies below the glass-transition temperature, so it slows recrystallisation and strongly limits moisture movement, but does not stop it altogether.
- Daily bread stays out of the fridge; cool, dry, ventilated transport is enough.
- Product going to distant points is frozen and baked off or thawed at the point of sale.
- The cold requirement of filled products with cream, meat and cheese comes from food safety, not freshness (Food Hygiene Regulation Article 18/5); these travel at the temperature on the label.
In a mixed load, putting everything in one cold volume damages the bread; when the products that need cold go into their own volume, the bread stays in its own band. If staling complaints recur, match lot, bake and packing time, delivery and shelf time to the complaint.