Gently form a loose ball and transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with saran wrap, or your choice of cover, place the bowl in a warm area, and allow the dough to rise for 40 minutes (see notes for tips on this). The dough should grow slightly larger and airy.

At the end of the 40 minutes, preheat the oven to 425°F. Then, create the water bath by adding the water and baking soda to a medium or large pot and bring it to a boil. In a small bowl, vigorously whisk the second egg and set it to the side. This will be used to brush the tops of the pretzels before baking.

Lightly flour your workspace and place the whole dough ball in the center. Knead the whole bread for about 2 minutes. Form a ball shape with the dough again. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough ball into 8 equal sections. I highly recommend you work with one section at a time. Keep the remaining 7 sections in the oiled bowl and keep them completely covered to help prevent any drying out.

Continue to knead the small piece of dough on the lightly floured surface for another minute. With your hands, begin to roll the dough into a long and narrow rope. As you roll, be sure to continuously keep the counter lightly floured. Over-flouring will cause the dough to become too dry and crack or break, so only do a little bit at a time. If the dough is too sticky, see my notes for a suggestion on how using oil could help with this.

Roll the dough to be about 1 to 1.5 inch this and about 18 inches long. Bend the ends of the rope upwards until they meet. Gently do a twist at the top and then fold downwards towards the bottom of the pretzel. Carefully, readjust the pretzel if needed so the twist is perfectly centered and the pretzel is equal on both sides. Connect the ends of the twist to the bottom of the pretzel by using a dab of water to help make them stick.

Very carefully place the pretzel into the boiling water bath. The pretzel will immediately sink, but will float to the surface within 5 seconds. Once the pretzel reaches the surface, let the pretzel sit in the boiling water for an additional 25 seconds. Remove the pretzel using two slotted spoons making sure to allow as much of the water to drip as possible. Place the pretzel on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg on the top of the pretzel and immediately sprinkle the salt. The salt should stick to the egg.

Once you have finished the first pretzel, repeat the previous step until all 8 pretzels are made, salted, and on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 15-17 minutes rotating the baking sheet halfway to ensure evenly browning and baking.

Remove from the oven and allow the pretzels to slightly cool. Enjoy them on their own or with a cheese dip.