• Dissolve your yeast in your warm water in a large bowl. Stir together for about 1 minute until mostly combined.
• Add in your salt, brown sugar and butter and stir everything together.
• Add in your flour, 1 cup at a time until dough is thick and no longer sticky. Add more flour 1 TBS at a time if needed to make sure dough isn't sticky. (Poke dough with your finger, and dough should bounce back - then it is ready)
• Lightly flour a flat surface.
• Knead your dough for 3 minutes and form into a ball.
• Oil a large bowl with nonstick spray and place dough in. Cover bowl with a towel and place in a warm area.
• Allow dough ball to rest for 30 minutes, or until doubled.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cut cheese into 1 inch sized pieces. You need 24 of them.

For the baking soda bath:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1/2 cup baking soda to the pot.
• Cut your dough into 24 pieces.
• Flatten each piece with your hand, and place one cheese cube into the middle of the piece.
• Pull the sides of the dough together, and pinch them together. Roll the dough back into a smooth ball.
• Drop the pretzel balls carefully into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds each.
• Remove from water with a slotted spatula or spoon, and let the excess water drip back into the pot. Place the pretzels on a greased half baking sheet. Place 12 on each baking sheet.

For Baking the Pretzels:

• Sprinkle the tops evenly with coarse sea salt.
• Bake the pretzels for 16 to 18 minutes until the pretzel crust is a nice golden color.
• Let the pretzels cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then enjoy warm.