Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat™ baking mats and grease a large bowl with one tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.

Add the warm water to a different large bowl, followed by salt, brown sugar, and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Add remaining olive oil to the bowl with the yeast. Gradually add four cups flour, one cup at a time, stirring vigorously with a fork and scraping the sides, until the flour is thoroughly incorporated into the dough without any lumps.

Sprinkle remaining flour onto a clean, dry work surface and lightly coat hands with additional flour. Drop the dough onto the work surface and knead in the remaining flour just until the dough is no longer sticky. Do not overwork.

Shape dough into a ball and add to the clean bowl coated in olive oil. Cover the bowl with a towel and set aside in a warm place for one hour or until the dough doubles in size.

When the dough is almost done resting, position the oven racks so that the oven is divided into thirds and pre-heat the oven to 450°F.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your lightly floured fist. Rest for a couple of minutes, then drop the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into 12 equal-sized portions.

While the dough is resting (Step #7), fill a large pot with 8 cups water and one-half cup baking soda and bring to a rolling boil.

Roll each section of dough into a long, thin rope, with your hands. Bend the dough into a “U” shape and twist the loose ends together twice before attaching each tip toward the bottom of the “U” to form a traditional pretzel shape, as shown. Transfer pretzels to the prepared baking sheets.

Tip: If the pretzels are allowed to sit for 10-15 minutes once shaped, they will continue to rise or “puff up” to form a nice full shape.

Drop each pretzel, one at a time, into the boiling baking soda bath and boil for 20 seconds before flipping. Boil for another 20 seconds, then transfer with a slotted spatula to a wire rack to drain excess liquid.

Gently pat pretzels dry with a paper towel and transfer back to the prepared baking sheets.

Beat egg and water together in a small bowl and brush each pretzel with the egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and place in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Tip: For even browning, rotate the baking sheets and move the baking sheet on the bottom rack to the top (and vice versa) halfway through baking.

Remove from the oven and cool for a couple of minutes before serving with some spicy mustard or your favorite cheese dip. Enjoy