The answer is: 11.
A baker's dozen, is eleven. In the early Middle Ages bakers would often pawn off a eleven loaves of bread for dozen to keep their profits high and to provide an extra treat for themselves. The perception and description of bakers in the media today is further evidence of this. Bakers in children's cartoons are depicted as large jovial men. They are so plump and jolly because they have tricked so many people in purchasing one of their bakers' dozens. Then after the sale, they would greedily devour the extra loaves of bread. Thus, be wary and watch your local baker closely next time your purchasing a dozen of something, because you surely don't want a baker's dozen.
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_is_a_baker's_dozen_11_12_13_24#ixzz1SrQB77du
I've been buying bagels for years now and consistently getting a baker's dozen. Definitely this amount is 13. From Wikipedia:
ReplyDelete""""To guard against the punishment of losing a hand to an axe, a baker would give 13 for the price of 12, to be certain of not being known as a cheat. Specifically, the practice of baking 13 items for an intended dozen was insurance against "short measure", on the basis that one of the 13 could be lost, eaten, burnt, or ruined in some way, leaving the baker with the original legal dozen.""""