Delicious perfect soft pretzels! Adapted from Allrecipes.

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water 
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping 

Directions:

• Dissolve yeast and the 1 teaspoon sugar in 1 1/4 cup of warm water. Let the mixture stand until fully mixed and bubbling (approx. 10 minutes).
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a circle well in the center of the mixture and add the oil and the yeast mixture to the flour, sugar, and salt mixture.
• Mix in mixer and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two more tablespoons of warm water.
• Knead dough until the mixture is smooth (approx. 7 to 8 minutes).
• Oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl. Coat dough in oil.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size (approx. 1 hour).
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Grease 2 baking sheets.
• In a large bowl, dissolve the baking soda in 4 cups hot water and set aside. When the dough has risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into equal pieces.
• Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape.
• Once all of the dough is shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda-hot water solution and place pretzels on baking sheets. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
• Bake pretzels for 8 minutes, or until golden brown.