Papa Drexler's Bavarian Pretzels

Last week, my desktop was down because I had to mail all my memory strips for warranty replacement to Mushkin Enhanced. So I had to find other ways to amuse myself other than Skyrim. It was then that I discovered baking!
And baking is total BS because all that lazy yeast takes so long to work.

Then I discovered pretzels! Less waiting, more instant gratification.

One very nice recipe I found was Papa Drexler's Bavarian Pretzels.

Noob tips:

• Don't worry if you didn't soften your butter. Even if it's straight out of the fridge / freezer, you can melt it on the stove.
• Put it in some metal dish and sit it on the stove for a bit, then take it off so it won't burn. Let the residual heat soften the rest. You're going to need to turn on the stove for the baking soda bath in this recipe anyway.
• Microwave is also another option.
• Completely melted butter (not just softened) is needed in this recipe as well for brushing onto the pretzels right before baking.
• Get the yeast part started early. That takes an estimated 15 minutes under warm room conditions, so while all that lazy yeast is working you can measure out the rest and maybe even get the baking soda wash boiling.
• If you are using unsalted butter, use more salt than the recommended one-quarter teaspoon--Either in the dough or sprinkled on top.
• If you are using spelt flour (a type of gluten free flour), 1 cup of water should be fine. The extra 1/3rd cup makes the dough way too wet.

The pretzels hold up pretty well for a day or two but start to toughen noticeably thereafter, so it's better if you eat them the same day you baked them.