Of course the day I decide that I am going to follow the Simply Living plan on WW, I knew that I was going to make The Sandwich King’s Pretzel Bun Hot Dog for lunch.  But I did okay for breakfast and dinner, and it’s all about balance, right? 😀

I knew that regular oats are a power food so I decided to see if I could make pancakes out of oats.  I kind of kept adding stuff to the mix and this is what I came up with:

Banana Chocolate Chip Oat Pancakes

  • Makes 2 pancakes – 3 points from 49 weekly fun points

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons fat free half and half
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons water (batter was too thick before)
  • 1/2 cup regular oats
  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour (left over from when I was doing Paleo)
  • 1/4 baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons granulated Splenda
  • 1 banana sliced
  • 2 teaspoons chocolate chips

I put all the dry ingredients in my mini chopper and blended well.  Then added everything and mixed just until combined.

These actually weren’t too bad – kind of like eating oatmeal in pancake form.  It didn’t have the fluffy texture I was looking for, but the flavor was good.  And these kept me full a long time!

So yet another Sandwich King creation.  I’ve made his Meatball sandwich with hot peppers.  I’ve made his Roast Beast Master sandwich with onion rings.   And I’ve made the Sandwich Kings fries.  So now I bring you The Sandwich King’s Pretzel Bun Hog Dog.  Holy cow – this one is a winner, winner, lobster dinner.  The pretzels aren’t too hard to make, you just need time to let the yeast bloom, and it rests for 45 minutes, and you boil them before baking.  I know it sounds complicated, but trust me, even if you’ve never worked with yeast before, you can make this!

Pretzel Hot Dog Buns:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 small cloves garlic, grated
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 cup bread flour
  • 1/2 cup baking soda
  • Pretzel salt or coarse ground sea salt, for sprinkling

In a small saucepan, heat the milk, 1/2 cup water, sugar and honey to 105 to 110 degrees F. Add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the water mixture and wait for at least 10 to 15 minutes until the yeast blooms.

In a separate saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and garlic and cook until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

Combine the all-purpose flour and bread flour in a mixing bowl.

Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the blooming yeast, and then add in the melted butter and garlic mixture. Mix on medium speed until the dough has come together and is smooth and elastic in texture and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, 5 to 7 minutes.

Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats.Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board and form into a ball. Cut into 4 equal pieces, and then cut those in half to form 8 equal pieces. Using your hands, roll each piece into a ball and place onto a prepared baking sheet. Cover with a dish cloth and let them rest in a warm place for 12 to 15 minutes.

Once rested, lightly dust your work surface again and roll the balls into 7-inch logs. Place onto the other prepared baking sheet, cover, place back in the warm spot and let rest for an additional 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place one oven rack high and one low. Line 2 more baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

In a large pot, bring 8 cups water to a boil, and then add the baking soda. In batches, place the dough in the water and cook for 30 seconds on each side.

Using a slotted spatula, remove the logs and place onto the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle the logs with pretzel salt as they come out of the water, to ensure the salt sticks. Then cut 3 diagonal slits on top of the bread, not too deep.

Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, rotating between the top and bottom racks of the oven halfway through the cooking.

You need to make sure that the milk mixture isn’t too hot, otherwise it will kill your yeast.  I use my meat thermometer.

Even if you’ve never worked with yeast before, this is a pretty simple recipe.  The end product was soft on the top, but crunchy on the bottom.  I didn’t make the cheese sauce, but I had spicy mustard and pickled jalapenos on mine.

Um, there was no power foods in my lunch, so it “cost” me 12 points, but I still have 34 points for the rest of the week and I think I’ll be okay. 😀  Totally worth it!  The bun comes in at 8 WW points, or 300 calories, 3.8 fat, 56 carbs 1.9 fiber and 8.7 protein.  Winning!

For dinner I made filet mignon – in the sale bin two for $4!  I had a baked potato on the side with some green beans, so I only had to count the butter for 2 points.

Then after dinner Tony and I watched The Guard on Demand.  It was really good!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_kJ3d1vqs4]

It’s twinfest today!  Going to celebrate our birthday with our best friends – its gorgeous today!

Don’t forget, last day to enter your breakfast BSI recipe – simply leave a comment or email me at mybizzykitchen@gmail.com.  The round up and winner will be announced in tomorrows post.

Enjoy your Sunday!  And make the pretzel buns – you’ll thank me later. 😀