Baker

Throughout the American Colonial period, bread was baked in ovens made of brick, stone or clay. These ovens were heated by building a fire in the baking chamber then removing all the coals and ash and placing the dough directly on the hearth. Baking was achieved with only the heat retained in the surrounding masonry. In fact, in the 18th century, the term "baking" means "cooking without a fire." Villages that were too small to support a commercial bakehouse often had community ovens where people brought dough, shaped into loaves, to be baked. Throughout the Colonial era English law dictated both the weight of loaves and the price at which those loaves could be sold. With stiff penalties for violations, bakers began including an extra item when customers purchased a dozen to avoid any question of wrongdoing, leading to the term “a baker’s dozen” for the quantity 13.