“The Wastel-Bread has its verbal roots guastel from old French which is now gateau meaning cake (as opposing pain meaning coarse bread) and seems to have been a cake-like bread made from fine white flour. German Jacob Grimm of the Brothers Grimm still knew the word Gastel for “… a finer kind of bread …” which he also knew as Wastel in Upper Germany i.e. Bavaria and Austria. In older literature, we find a “… Robert Wastelmonger (wastel < OF wastel, northeastern var. of guastel, gastel) ‘Bread made of the finest flour; a cake or loaf of this bread …” And in Italy, the guastella (guastedda in Sicily) has survived the times in different shapes, mostly flat, always white, and often sweet. Southern German master baker Schmitt served wastel-bread (Wastel-Brot) made after a medieval recipe at a public testing in Karlstadt where medieval specialties were served in 2009 This could eventually solve the English wastelbread riddle.”
There is a dissertation (£) by Swiss academic Johann Jakob Dickenmann which was published in Zurich in 1904, “Das Nahrungswesen in England vom XII. bis XV. Jahrhundert” where Dr. Dickenmann scientifically researched medieval nutrition in England which might be of interest for finding more clues and hints about the English cuisine.”