Wade

There are a few theories as to why Baker's Dozen became 13, but the most widely accepted one has to do with avoiding a beating.

In medieval England there were laws related to the price of bread and the price of the wheat used to make it.

Bakers who were found to be cheating their customers by overpricing undersized loaves were subject to strict punishment including fines or flogging.

Even with careful planning it is difficult to ensure that all of your baked goods come out the same size.

There may be fluctuations in rising and baking and air content and many of these bakers didn't even have scales.

For fear of accidentally coming up short, they would throw in a bit extra to ensure that they wouldn't end up with a surprise flogging later.

Seems bad.

So even in a baker's dozen, which I thought as the recipient is a good thing, it's the baker's trying to avoid a bad thing.

Well, they shouldn't try and screw us out of that extra money, should they?

I told you bakers are evil.

I've always thought this.

What are they up to back there?

Also, well, some donuts are baked, but like a lot of donuts are fried, right?

Is that still a baker?

It's not a baker's dozen.

It's a fryer's dozen, which is just 12.

I don't know.

I just think back to Beauty and the Beast.

The fear and trepidation in the voice that the song is saying.

I don't remember that line at all.