Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let set until activated. Add brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add flour one cup at a time until mixture isn’t moist. You may need a little less flour or a little more. Let rise for 30 minutes.

Let the fun begin! Form balls of dough the size of a small fist. Roll dough into a thin “rope” (emphasis on thin) and twist into pretzels. If you are doing this at a gathering, make sure you have plenty of counter space to work on, as the “ropes” can get quite long. Also, have flour available to sprinkle on the work surface in case the dough gets a little sticky.

While pretzels are being shaped, combine baking soda with water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and make sure baking soda is dissolved. Keep very warm.

After pretzels are shaped, carefully dip them in the baking soda solution. It’s easiest to assign one person to this job as the pretzels are being twisted.

Place dipped pretzels on a greased cookie sheet, sprinkle with pretzel salt (kosher, sea, and regular salt work just fine too) and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Brush with melted butter.

Enjoy with your favorite dips and toppings!

When I have a soft pretzel party, I almost always have to double, triple, or even, quadruple the batch to have enough to go around!