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A vantage loaf (first recorded in 1612) is the 13th loaf of a baker's dozen.—a loaf of bread which is to the buyer's advantage, being in addition to the number ordered. The 13th-century English law governing trade in bread and ale, known as the
A vantage loaf (first recorded in 1612) is the 13th loaf of a baker's dozen.—a loaf of bread which is to the buyer's advantage, being in addition to the number ordered. The 13th-century English law governing trade in bread and ale, known as the Assize of Bread and Ale
The Assize of Bread and Ale ( la, Assisa panis et cervisiae) was a 13th-century law in high medieval England, which regulated the price, weight and quality of the bread and beer manufactured and sold in towns, villages and hamlets. It was the firs ...
, imposed severe punishment for short measure. This could be a fine, destruction of the baker's oven, or even the pillory
The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stocks ...
. To protect themselves, bakers would add a small piece of bread to each order, called the "in-bread", to ensure they could not be accused of short measure. For large orders of 12 loaves, this would be a whole extra loaf. In years of good harvest a baker could be making more bread than could be sold from the shop. Extra bread was sold on to middlemen or "hucksters
''The Hucksters'' is a 1947 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film directed by Jack Conway starring Clark Gable and Deborah Kerr, her debut in an American film. The supporting cast includes Sydney Greenstreet, Adolphe Menjou, Ava Gardner, Keenan Wynn, and ...
", who would sell it in the streets. Since the price of bread was fixed by law, a huckster would make a profit by selling on the extra 13th loaf, which was the vantage loaf.
References
Breads {{bread-stub