When it comes to custard squares, most people probably don't give too much thought into the art of slicing. If you’re being honest, you just grab your sweet pastry, admire its golden crust, and sink your teeth into the creamy custard filling, right?
Well, not so fast! An Australian bakery has recently ignited a custard controversy that has everyone up in arms.
In a video posted by Melbourne's Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse, the custard square is put through an unusual method of slicing – turning it on its side before cutting.
Whether you call it a vanilla slice, custard slice or a custard square, I think we can all agree we've never thought about taking a knife to our pastry.
I can already hear you asking, ‘Why in the world would they do that?’ But as it turns out, there is actually a very practical reason for the bizarre slice.
Baker Steve Plarre has a surprisingly practical reason for this seemingly outrageous maneuver.
He explains to RNZ that by slicing the custard square on its side, "two lovely structures of pastry" form to prevent a gooey escape so your custard square keeps its structure even after the first bite.
But not everyone is on board with this unconventional custard-cutting technique.
Some baffled bakery lovers took to the comments to say: "Why are you cutting a vanilla slice? they should be inhaled whole.”
“I don’t need to cut mine I ain’t sharing with nobody,” another wrote.
While others think the idea is pure brilliance.
One happily surprised user wrote: “Why have I never thought of this?”
“This is not common knowledge... Thank you,” another added.
While a third said: “I better go get a dozen to try this!”
So, next time you prepare to sink your teeth into one of these custardy treats, maybe, just maybe consider saving yourself the mess and take a knife to your slice.
