Disney fans, these pretzels are for you! They are golden brown on the outside, have a soft texture on the inside, and are topped with coarse salt. And, they are shaped like Mickey. A soft pretzel doesn't get much better than that!
In a stand mixer add the warm water and yeast. Allow the yeast to bloom and become bubbly about 5 minutes.
With the dough hook attachment, add the sugar, salt, melted butter, and the flour 1 cup at a time. If the dough is too dry, add 1 more tablespoon of water.
Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it into a ball. Place the dough into a large bowl and add the oil on top. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
Preheat the oven to 450°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, pinching and rolling the two ends together to make a circle from the dough. Twist the dough into a Mickey Mouse head with the two ears and head.
Add the hot water and baking soda in a medium sized bowl and whisk to dissolve the baking soda. Dip each pretzel into the bowl and place on the prepared baking sheets. You may need to reshape them a little.
Brush the pretzels with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake for 8-10 Minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Serve with cheese dip.