How Many Donuts Are in a Baker’s Dozen? (2024)

Do you love donuts? Who doesn't, right? From long johns and crullers to traditional glazed and even donut holes, donuts are a breakfast treat that millions of people enjoy every day.

If you've ever been to a bakery, you know it can be hard to choose just one donut. As you gaze around at the selection of donuts, you might feel the urge to try them all. Maybe that's why people often buy donuts by the dozen.

If you've ever bought a dozen donuts, you probably had a lot of fun choosing the donuts that you took home in that big rectangular box. If you kept track of the donuts on your fingers, you had to start over when you ran out of 10 fingers, because a dozen equals 12 delicious donuts.

At many bakeries, though, the fun doesn't end with 12 donuts. Instead, a lot of bakeries will give you an extra donut to create what's known as a "baker's dozen." That's 13 amazing donuts for the price of 12. What a deal!

A baker's dozen isn't limited to just donuts, though. Over time, the term baker's dozen has become synonymous with the number 13. You could get a baker's dozen loaves of bread, or you could cut a pizza into a baker's dozen slices if you need to feed 13 people.

So exactly how did 13 become a baker's dozen? No one knows for sure, but there are a few theories out there. For example, some people believe that bakers used to bake loaves of bread on trays that held 13 loaves in rows of four, five, and four. Of course, that theory doesn't explain why bakers would then sell loaves in quantities of 13 instead of 12.

Others believe that the term came from the practice of selling 13 loaves to vendors for the price of 12. This would allow vendors to sell 13 loaves at full price, thereby earning a profit on each loaf. While this theory may have some merit, there's no hard historical data to back it up either.

The most popular explanation for the term baker's dozen appears to be the strict laws that applied to bakers hundreds of years ago. Long ago, bread was a primary source of food for many people, especially the poor. Unfortunately, it was also very easy for bakers to cheat customers by using less wheat and selling loaves that were lighter than expected.

Given how easy it is to buy a loaf of bread today, it may seem strange to think that people could care that much about a loaf of bread. History, however, shows us that people did care quite a bit about their bread many years ago.

For example, cheating bakers in ancient Egypt could have their ears cut off and nailed to the door of their bakery. Likewise, bakers in ancient Babylon who were caught selling light loaves could have their hands chopped off. The British even passed a law in the mid-13th century that detailed the required weights and prices of bread.

If you've ever baked a loaf of bread, you know how careful you have to be when you measure the ingredients. Given the harsh penalties involved, bakers had to worry about making accidental mistakes that could get them into big trouble.

To avoid the possibility of such penalties, many bakers began to include a 13th loaf of bread with every dozen sold. This extra loaf made up for any possibility that the other 12 loaves might be light. Over time, that group of 13 loaves of bread became known as a baker's dozen, and that's what we still call it today!

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How Many Donuts Are in a Baker’s Dozen? (2024)

FAQs

How Many Donuts Are in a Baker’s Dozen? ›

Instead, a lot of bakeries will give you an extra donut to create what's known as a "baker's dozen." That's 13 amazing donuts for the price of 12. What a deal! A baker's dozen isn't limited to just donuts, though. Over time, the term baker's dozen has become synonymous with the number 13.

Why are there 13 in a Baker's dozen? ›

During this time, bakers who sold a dozen units that failed to meet this requirement could be penalized with a fine. Therefore, to avoid risking this penalty, some bakers included an extra unit to be sure the minimum weight was met, bringing the total to 13 units or what is now commonly known as a baker's dozen.

How many doughnuts are in a baker's dozen? ›

But a baker's dozen is commonly understood to mean 13. Are bakers just bad at counting? Not quite. There are a few theories as to why a baker's dozen became 13, but the most widely accepted one has to do with avoiding a beating.

Is a dozen donuts 12 or 13? ›

If you're ordering from a bakery and request a baker's dozen of a certain item, you'll get 13 scones, dinner rolls, doughnuts, whatever. So even though you're requesting a baker's dozen of something, you'll actually receive an extra baked good. No complaints here!

Why does a bakers dozen have 14? ›

Afraid of accidentally coming up short, some bakers would just throw an extra loaf into lots of twelve. The extra made sure they were staying within the law--and avoiding a flogging. Some bakers even used fourteen instead of thirteen for a dozen — better safe than sorry, right?

What is a true bakers dozen? ›

noun. a group of 13; a dozen plus one: from the former practice among bakers and other tradespeople of giving 13 items to the dozen as a safeguard against penalties for short weights and measures.

Can you ask for a bakers dozen? ›

From roses to pencils, eggs to cookies, some things come by the dozen. But if you ask for a baker's dozen at your local bakery, you'll get 13—not 12—goodies.

Why is 12 called a dozen? ›

The word dozen comes from the French word “douzaine,” which means a group of 12. Dozen is one of the most primitive customary units of numbers. The number system with the base number 12 is called duodecimal or dozenal. It is believed to have started counting finger bones using the thumb.

How many donuts are in a co*ke? ›

One bottle of co*ke and six donuts are not exactly an equal exchange. Although the graphic is a bit misleading at first glance, it does raise valid health concerns. The message here is not, “You should eat more donuts.” We're not saying that donuts are healthy.

What is a farmer dozen? ›

Akin to a baker's dozen, my Farmer's Dozen is a quantity of a dozen or so questions - a series of questions with fellow designers, authors, tastemakers, friends and Southerners alike.

How many is a baker's half dozen? ›

baker's half dozen

(idiomatic, uncommon) Seven, a group of seven.

What does 7 dozen mean? ›

Solution: 7 dozen flowers = 7 x 12 = 84 flowers.

What is the difference between a dozen and a baker's dozen? ›

Request a dozen eggs from a farmer, a dozen steaks from a butcher, or a dozen pencils from a traveling office supplies salesman, and you will almost certainly receive 12 of your chosen item (counting errors do happen). But a baker's dozen is commonly understood to mean 13.

Why is a baker's dozen note 12? ›

There are a few theories for why a baker's dozen is 13 instead of 12. The most common one is that it is widely believed that this phrase originated from the practice of medieval English bakers giving an extra loaf when selling a dozen in order to avoid being penalized for selling short weight.

Why does a dozen exist? ›

The term goes back to duodecim, which means 12 in Latin. Humans might have started to count on a base 12 because there are approximately 12 cycles of the moon in one cycle of the sun. In other words, a solar year has 12 months. The first to have used the unit were probably the Mesopotamians.

Is a baker's dozen 13 instead of 12? ›

From roses to pencils, eggs to cookies, some things come by the dozen. But if you ask for a baker's dozen at your local bakery, you'll get 13—not 12—goodies. While a dozen means a group of 12, a baker's dozen is a group of 13, an odd number of bakery goods that came about nearly 1,000 years ago.

Why do we say dozen instead of 12? ›

It takes 12 units to make a dozen. A group of 12 objects or items are collectively called 'a dozen' items. Thus, a dozen bananas means 12 bananas. The word dozen comes from the French word 'douzaine' which means a group of 12.

How did a dozen become 12? ›

A "dozen" (commonly abbreviated doz or dz) is a unit of measurement. It means twelve (12) items of something. The term goes back to duodecim, which means 12 in Latin. Humans might have started to count on a base 12 because there are approximately 12 cycles of the moon in one cycle of the sun.

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