It's interesting how the approach to bread has changed - What used to be the bread of the "nobility"\"upper classes" is now the cheapest variety, predominantly eaten by the poor\lower classes, whilst what used to be the breads of the "peasants" is now favoured by the affluent\upper classes...
Quote:
Middle Ages Food - Bread
The staple diet in the Middle Ages was bread, meat and fish. Bread was the most important component of the diet during the Medieval era. The Upper Classes ate a type of bread called Manchet which was a bread loaf made of wheat flour. The Lower Classes ate rye and barley bread. Different types of bread made from wheat were as follows:
Manchet - Fine White Bread
Cheat or wheaten bread - Coarse texture, grey in color
Ravelled Bread - containing less of the pure substance of the wheat
Brown or Black bread
Quote:
Middle Ages Food - Bread for the Poor
Bread made with barley, oats, or millet was always ranked as coarse food, to which the poor only had recourse in years of want. Barley bread was, besides, used as a kind of punishment, and monks who had committed any serious offence against discipline were condemned to live on it for a certain period.
Rye bread was held of very little value, and it was very generally used among the country people. Black wheat, or buck wheat, which was introduced into Europe by the Moors and Saracens when they conquered Spain, quickly spread to northern Europe which helped to ease the problems caused by famine.
Source:
http://www.lordsandladies.org/middle-ages-food-bread.htm