Soft Pretzels

For the pretzels:

1. Stir the water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let sit until the mixture begins to turn creamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Add 4 cups of flour, salt, and melted butter and mix on low using the dough hook attachment. If the dough seems extremely sticky, add a little bit of the extra flour until it's slightly tacky but no longer sticky.
3. Increase speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and cleans the sides of the bowl. This should take about 5 minutes. It will come together eventually. 
4. Transfer the dough to the counter and form into a loose ball.  Place it in an oiled large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. The time will differ depending on the temperature of the room. If it shows very little activity after half an hour, cover the bowl with a blanket or take it to a less cold room in your house. 
5. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, lightly brush it with vegetable oil, or use cooking spray. Set aside.
6. When the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.
7. Divide into 8 equal portions using a bench scraper. Eyeball the size or use a scale if you want exact weights.
8. Roll each portion into a rope that is 18" to 24" long. Lift up the ends to form a sort of U-shape, and then twist the two sides around each other and bring them down to form a pretzel shape.
9. Place on the baking tray and repeat with all of the dough portions. Let sit uncovered while you prepare the water and preheat the oven.
10. Preheat the oven to 450°F/220°C.
11. Bring 10 cups of water to a boil in a large, wide pot with high sides (like a stew or soup pot). Once it boils, add the baking soda gradually to prevent overflow.
12. When it returns to a boil, lower the pretzels one at a time into the water for 30 seconds each, flipping over halfway. When picking up the formed pretzel dough, you can use two fingers to pick it up, one through each pretzel "loop". This allows the dough to sort of stretch in the right direction. Then just lower it carefully into the boiling baking soda bath. Use a wide, flat-slotted spoon or spatula to lift them from the water. Shake the spatula a little to let as much water as you can fall back into the pot, and place the pretzels back onto the prepared tray.

Egg wash:

1. Once all pretzels are on the tray, beat the egg yolk with the water and brush the top of each one.
2. Sprinkle with coarse or kosher salt (parmesan, poppy or sesame seeds).
3. Slide into the preheated oven and bake until the pretzels turn a deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. You can do a test bake with one and adjust the oven if needed. The inside needs to be fully baked as the outside turns a wonderful golden brown. 
4. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool until warm enough to eat.
5. Store leftovers in an airtight container for 2 days or freeze for a month. Always reheat them before eating. 

For the sauce:

1. Heat beer in a small saucepan.
2. When it starts to bubble, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until well combined.
3. Let boil for 1 minute and serve with warm pretzels.