Rastons

This first recipe from Two fifteenth-century cookery-books for Rastons creates a small round loaf of bread that has been fortified with eggs. Traditionally, the top is cut from the crown of the bread, the bread removed from the inside of the loaf, crumbled up into crumbs mixed with clarified butter, the hollow refilled, the top put on and the bread baked till it was warmed.

The recipe later on the page for Restons from The Good Huswifes Handmaide in the Kitchen sounds more like cinnamon toast to me. This recipe is from 1594.

Either recipe could be used simply as a bread recipe without adding the finishing touches.

Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 / edited by Thomas Austin

.xxv. Rastons.—Take fayre Flowre, & þe whyte of Eyroun, & þe ȝolke, a lytel; þan take Warme Berme, & putte al þes to-gederys, & bete hem to-gederys with þin hond tyl it be schort & þikke y-now, & caste Sugre y-now þer-to, & þenne lat reste a whyle; þan kaste in a fayre place in þe oven, & late bake y-now; & þen with a knyf cutte yt round a-boue in maner of a crowne, & kepe þe cruste þat þou kyttyst; & þan pyke al þe cromys withynne to-gederys, an pike hem smal with þin knyf, & saue þe sydys & al þe cruste hole with-owte; & þan caste þer-in clarifiyd Boter, & Mille*. [melle A. (mix). ] þe cromeȝ & þe botere to-gedereȝ, & keuere it a-ȝen with þe cruste, þat þou kyttest a-way; þan putte it in þe ovyn aȝen a lytil tyme; & þan take it out, & serue it fortℏ.

Dan Myers offers this interpretation for the recipe above at his site Medieval Cookery.

xxv - Rastons. Take fayre Flowre, and the whyte of Eyroun, and the 3olke, a lytel; than take Warme Berme, and putte al thes to-gederys, and bete hem to-gederys with thin hond tyl it be schort and thikke y-now, and caste Sugre y-now ther-to, and thenne lat reste a whyle; than kaste in a fayre place in the oven, and late bake y-now; and then with a knyf cutte yt round a-boue in maner of a crowne, and kepe the cruste that thou kyttyst; and than pyke al the cromys withynne to-gederys, an pike hem smal with thin knyf, and saue the sydys and al the cruste hole with-owte; and than caste ther-in clarifiyd Boter, and Mille (Note: melle A. (mix)) the crome3 and the [correction; sic = MS. the the] botere to-gedere3, and keuere it a-3en with the cruste, that thou kyttest a-way; than putte it in the ovyn a3en a lytil tyme; and than take it out, and serue it forth.

25. Rastons- take fair flour, and the white of eggs, and the yolk, a little; then take Warm Barm, and put all these together, and beat them thereto, and then let rest a while: then caste in a fair place in the oven, and let bake enough: and then with a knife cut it round above in the manner of a crown, and keep the crust that thou cut; & then pick all the crumbs within together, and pick them small with thine knife, and save the sides and all the crust whole without; and then cast therein clarified butter and mix the crumbs and butter together, and cover it again with the crust, that thou cuttest away; then put in the oven again a little time; and then take it out and serve it forth.

This is a Medieval bread recipe, that makes one large loaf, from Cindy Renfrow's book, Take a Thousand Eggs or More: A Collection of 15th Century Recipes

Rastons

2 tbsp. sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 cup warm ale or beer (105 - 115 degrees F.)
1 package dry yeast*
3 1/2 cup bread flour
1/2 cup butter clarified

*The ale yeast or "barm" called for in this recipe is a solution of active yeast skimmed from working ale. Since modern commercially-available beer and ale are not active enough, extra yeast has been added here.

Put 2 cups of flour and the yeast in a large mixing bowl.
Add sugar.
Add ale and eggs. Stir.
Add enough additional flour to make a stiff dough.
Turn out onto a floured board and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Form into a round loaf and place on a greased baking sheet.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk.
(Optional: brush the loaf with milk for a shiny finish.)
Bake at 400-degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
Remove the loaf from the oven and place it on a wire rack.
When it has cooled completely, cut off the top crust and scoop out the center of the loaf.
Cut the crumbs into pieces and mix with the clarified butter.
Put the crumb mixture back into the loaf and cover with the top crust.
Put the loaf in a warm oven for 10 minutes to heat the butter before serving.
Remove from oven and serve hot.

The Good Huswifes Handmaide in the Kitchen, 1594

This sounds very much like cinnamon toast.

To make good Restons.

TAke a quart of fine flower, lay it on a faire boord, and make a hole in the middest of the flower with your hand, and put a sawcerfull of Ale Yest therein, and ten yolkes of Egges, and put therto two spoonefuls of Synamon, and one of Ginger, and a spoonfull of Cloues and Mace, and a quarterne of Sugar fine beaten, and a litle Safron, and halfe a spoonefull of Salt. Then take a dishfull of Butter, melt it and put into your flower, and therwithall make your paste as it were for Manchets, and mould it a good while and cut it in peeces the bignes of Ducks Egges, and so moulde euerye peece as a manchet, and make them after the fashion of an Ackorn broad aboue, and narrow beneath Then set them in an Ouen, and let them bake three quarters of an howre. Then take fiue dishes of Butter and claryfie it clean vpon a soft fire: then drawe foorth your Restons foorth of the Ouen, and scrape the bottoms of them faire and cut them overthwart [crosswise] in foure peeces, and put them in a faire charger, and put your clarified butter vpon them. Then haue powder of Synamon and Ginger readie by you, and Sugar verie fine. And mingle them altogether, and euer as you set your peeces thence, together cast some of your sugar, Synamon, & ginger vpon Reston them, and when you haue set them all vp, lay them in a faire platter, and put a litle butter vpon them, and cast a litle sugar vpon them and so serue them in.