Pretzels!

So being on spring break I have a lot of free time on my hands being back here in boring Cleveland. So today I decided to try and make homemade soft pretzels. As many people know I am a terrible baker, whenever I try to do it no matter if I follow a recipe to the T I still manage to mess things up. So for the first time I actually managed to make something that required yeast and rising time and kneading that came out really well:). I even didn't follow the recipe exactly and they turned out I can't believe it!
So here is the recipe I used (mostly so I don't forget for the next time)

2 cups (plus a little more as needed to get the dough right)
1 tsp. of sugar
1/2 tsp of salt, plus more for the top
1 cup warm water
1 package yeast
Mix together the sugar, water and yeast let proof for about 5 min. Mix together the flour and salt. Then mix the wet and dry together to form a sticky ball. Knead the dough adding flour as needed to make it not too sticky. My final dough was still a bit sticky but still formed a nice smooth ball.
Let it rise for 30min. in a bowl (I greased my bowl with cooking spray). After it has risen separate into about 10 portions (depending on how big you want them). Using a little more flour so the dough doesn't stick to your hands. Roll out long ropes with the dough and make a pretzel shape.
In a pot heat 1 cup of water with 1/8 cup of baking soda and heat to dissolve the baking soda and simmering. Dip each pretzel in the water bath for a couple seconds making sure all sides get covered. Remove and place on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with whatever toppings you like. I sprayed the tops with cooking spray and tested a few toppings. Cinnamon and sugar for one, another was garlic powder/basil/salt, and one was just salt. Bake in an over at 425 F for 8-10 min. My oven doesn't heat evenly so I had to rotate it a few times and let it cook a little longer. They should get a nice golden color on top and crack a little. Take them out and brush a little melted butter on top and enjoy.
We pretty much devoured almost the whole batch they were so good.

So here are two pictures I managed to snap before we dove in.