Whisk the yeast and sugar into warm water. Cover and allow to sit for 1 minute.

Whisk in the melted butter and salt. Add 3 cups (375g) of flour. Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attachment if using a stand mixer) until combined. Add ¾ cup (94g) more flour until the dough is slightly tacky and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it is still sticky, add up to ¼ cup more (31g) flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger—if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.

Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 3 to 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3 to 5 minutes.

Shape the kneaded dough into a ball. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 to 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 75g sections, which is about ⅓ cup of dough each.

Roll the dough into a 20–22-inch rope. Form a circle with the dough by bringing the 2 ends together at the top of the circle. Twist the ends together. Bring the twisted ends back down towards yourself and press them down to form a pretzel shape.

Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1–2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20–30 seconds.

Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pretzels.

Sprinkle the tops of the pretzels with coarse salt. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until dark golden brown.

Remove from the oven and, if desired, serve warm with spicy nacho cheese sauce.