Waitangi couple Fred and Valerie Dyer's favourite loaf of bread came with a surprise package this week - a baked black blob.
At first glance, the couple thought the worst - what had snuck into the loaf before it was baked? Nothing, it turns out.
Goodman Fielder, who manufactures the Vogels bread, are confident the Dyers' loaf contained a carbonised glob of dough that had been caught in the manufacturing machinery from a previous batch.
"Having seen the photos and now spoken with the consumer, the evidence supports the view that the dark matter is burnt dough," the company said in a statement.