Whisk warm water, yeast, and sugar together in stand mixer with the dough hook. Cover yeast mixture and allow to sit for 5 minutes or until foamy on top.

Add salt, melted butter, and 3 cups (375g) of flour. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed, then add ¾ cup (95g) of flour. Beat on low speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes.

If dough is extremely sticky after 1 minute of mixing, add remaining ¼ cup of flour and continue to beat for 1 more minute.

Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5 full minutes. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. Tear off a golfball-size piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it.

Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10-30 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling.)

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

Cut dough into 6 ~even pieces. Sprinkle work surface very lightly with flour. A little stickiness actually helps. Roll each piece of dough into a 20-inch rope. If the ropes keep shrinking and stretching the dough becomes difficult, stop what you’re doing, lightly cover all of the dough, and let it rest for 10 minutes so the gluten can relax. Then, return to rolling it into ropes. Cut each rope into 1.5 – 2 inch pieces to make bites.

Mix water and baking soda together in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Place 8-10 pretzel bites into the boiling water for a quick 10-15 seconds. (Any longer and your pretzels could take on a metallic taste.) Using a slotted spatula or spoon, lift the pretzel bites out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place bites onto prepared baking sheets.

Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt while they are still wet or leave plain if using cinnamon sugar topping listed in the notes. Repeat baking soda bath with remaining pretzel bites. If needed, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked bites for up to 24 hours before baking.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Cover and store leftover pretzel bites at room temperature for up to 3 days. They lose a little softness over time. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds or bake in a 350°F (177°C) for 5 minutes.