Pour ¾ cup of warm water into your mixing bowl. Test it with your finger. It should feel like warm bath water. Not hot. Not cold. Just warm.

Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1½ teaspoons of instant yeast on top of the water. Give it a little stir with your fork. Wait 5 minutes. You should see it start to bubble and foam. That means your yeast is alive and hungry.

Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil or melted butter into your yeast water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Give it a quick stir.

Scoop 2½ cups of all-purpose flour. Add about half to your bowl and stir with a fork until it gets thick and shaggy. Then add the rest and keep stirring. When the fork stops working, it's time for your hands.

Dust your clean surface with a tiny bit of extra flour. Dump your dough out and start kneading. Push it away from you with the heel of your hand, fold it back toward you, turn it a quarter turn, and repeat. Keep going for about 5 minutes. Pretzel dough should feel smooth, firm, and a little springy. It's stiffer than pizza dough and that's exactly right.

Put a tiny drizzle of olive oil in your bowl and roll your dough ball around in it so it doesn't dry out. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap.

Set the bowl somewhere warm. The dough won't double in size like pizza dough does. It just needs to relax and puff up a little. About 30 minutes is perfect.

Punch the dough down gently. Dump it onto a clean surface (no flour this time, a tiny bit of stickiness actually helps you roll). Using a bench scraper or butter knife, cut the dough in half. Cut each half in half. Cut each quarter in half. Now you have 8 pieces, all about the same size.

Take one piece of dough. Roll it between your palms to start, then move to the table. Use both hands and roll outward from the center, applying gentle, even pressure. You want a rope about 20-24 inches long and as thick as your finger. If the dough springs back and won't stretch, let it rest for 2 minutes and try again. The gluten just needs to relax.

Lay your rope on the table in a U shape, with the open ends pointing away from you.

Pick up both ends of the U and cross them over each other once, about halfway down. You should have a twist in the middle.

Bring those crossed ends down and press them onto the bottom curve of the U. Press firmly so they stick. That's it. That's a pretzel.

Carefully lift your pretzel and set it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with all 8 dough ropes.

An adult brings 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling, carefully stir in 2 tablespoons of baking soda. It will foam up a bit. That's normal.

An adult carefully lowers each pretzel into the boiling baking soda water using a slotted spoon or spider strainer. Let it sit for about 30 seconds, then flip and do the other side for another 30 seconds. Lift it out, let the water drip off, and place it back on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Beat 1 egg in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg. This gives them a shiny, golden finish. Now sprinkle your topping: coarse salt for classic, cinnamon sugar for sweet, everything seasoning for fancy, or parmesan for savory. Your pretzel, your call.

An adult preheats the oven to 450°F (230°C). This needs to be fully hot before the pretzels go in.

An adult places the baking sheet in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 8-10 minutes. You're looking for a deep golden brown color all over. If they still look pale, give them another minute or two.

As soon as the pretzels come out of the oven, an adult brushes them with melted butter. This makes them shiny and adds flavor. The butter will sizzle a little on the hot pretzels. That sound means you did it right.

The hardest part of this recipe. Let the pretzels cool for at least 5 minutes before eating. The inside is very hot right out of the oven.

Lay your rope in a U shape with the ends pointing away from you.

Lift both ends and cross them over each other once, creating a twist about halfway down.

Bring the crossed ends down and press them firmly onto the bottom curve of the U.

Roll your dough into a rope about 12 inches long.

Using a butter knife or bench scraper, cut the rope into 1-inch pieces.

Dip the bites in the baking soda bath just like full pretzels, about 30 seconds total.

Roll each piece into a 6-8 inch rope.

Same baking soda bath, same bake time.

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C) for at least 15 minutes.

Place pretzels on middle rack. Bake 8-10 minutes until deep golden brown.

Brush immediately with melted butter when they come out of the oven.

Let cool 5 minutes before eating.