1 1/2 cups almost hot water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 package active yeast
~4 1/2 cups flour
2oz melted butter (half a stick)
2/3 cup baking soda
1 egg yolk, beaten with 2 tablespoons water
in a large bowl, combine sugar, water, salt and yeast. let it sit until frothy, about 5 minutes or so
add the butter and flour and mix well to form a soft dough. knead it by hand for about 5 mins
put into a greased bowl, then turn so greased side is up, cover with a cloth and sit in a warm place until doubled, about one hour
fill a [pot with water and add the baking soda, turn on high to get it boiling (when it boils, the bubbles will be tiny, not big bubbles like a typical rolling boil)
put dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 6-8 pieces.
roll the sections out by hand into "ropes" about 24 inches long. twist into a pretzel shape, and wet the ends a bit so the dough sticks to itself
;line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat and then (using a large spatula or fryer scoop) gently lower the pretzels into the water one a a time (30-45 seconds - if they sunk, they should be floating by now)
this helps with that classic "shiny" skin
place on the parchment paper and brush with the egg mixture, sprinkle salt if desired
bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown