The Best Philadelphia Soft Pretzels Ever - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup warm water
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 egg
coarse salt, to sprinkle on top (kosher salt)
SUGGESTED DIPS
warm mustard
melted cheese

Preparation

In mixing bowl add warm water and yeast. Stir until the yeast is completely dissolved.
Add the sugar. Stir. Gradually stir in the flour. The dough will become stiff and dry. That's what you want.
Sprinkle some flour on the counter or on a board. Flour your hands, too. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball. Place the ball of dough back in the bowl and cover the bowl with a dish towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, dark place for at least 30 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
While the dough rises, heat the oven to 400F degrees. Grease or butter a cookie sheet.
Fill a saucepan half full of water, add the baking soda, and bring the water to a slow boil.
When the dough is finished rising, put it on a floured surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough into a square shape, about 1/4-1/2 inch (6-10 mm) thick. Cut the dough into 1/2-inch (or so) wide strips. They don't have to be perfect.
Twist each strip into a pretzel shape, pinching the ends so they don't fall apart. Be careful not to let the strips stretch too thin as you handle them.
Place a pretzel on a spatula and lower it into the boiling water for 5-10 seconds. It will puff up and float. Use the spatula to remove the pretzel from the water. Place the pretzel on the greased cookie sheet. Repeat this with the other pretzels.
In a small bowl, beat the egg for 1 minute. Use a pastry brush to coat the top of each pretzel with the egg. Sprinkle salt over the pretzels.
Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve with warmed mustard or melted cheese. YUM!