Add yeast to a bowl of warm water and sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over it. Let it sit until it gets foamy,

Add flour, ½ cup of sugar, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk to combine. Add oil and yeast mixture and mix at medium speed with the dough hook until the dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl, lightly greased with butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425º. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Add water to a Dutch oven or large pot and add baking soda. Let it come to a boil while you roll out the dough.

Punch down dough to remove the air and divide it into 12 pieces. Using your hands, roll each piece into a 25-30 inch rope. It will seize up after a few rolls, let it rest until the gluten relaxes and you can roll it again.

To shape into a pretzel shape, form a U and cross the strips in the middle and cross again. Take the two ends over the dough and press into the back of the pretzel shape.

Add the pretzel to the boiling water for 30 seconds, remove and place on the parchment paper. Immediately add coarse salt to the top. Bake for 6-8 minutes depending on how thin you rolled the dough. It should be dark brown on the surface. Immediately brush with melted butter.