Pretzels

Makes: 8 large pretzels

1 ½ cups warm water
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons melted butter

9 cups water
⅔ cup baking soda
coarse salt

In a bowl mix 1 1/2 cups water, salt, and sugar until combined. Add yeast, and let rest 5 minutes until yeast starts to foam.
Add flour and butter, and mix thoroughly until a soft dough forms.
Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave in a warm place for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Cut dough into 8 pieces and roll them out into thin ropes (about 20" long), twisting the two ends to form a pretzel shape.
In a large pot, bring 9 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add baking soda. Using a slotted spoon to place in and remove from water, boil each pretzel for 30 seconds per side.
Transfer pretzels to a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes or until the bottoms are brown. Turn the pretzels over (without smashing them) and let them bake for another 5 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the bottoms are not soggy. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.

Smaller pretzels: This recipe easily makes 16.
Garlic pretzels: add 1 Tbsp garlic to the dough.
Cheese sauce: 1 cup is about right for 1 batch of pretzels.