Whisk warm water, yeast, and brown sugar together and let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.

Add in flour, vital wheat gluten, oil, and salt. Use a dough hook in a stand mixer or knead by hand for 8 minutes.

Cover dough with plastic wrap and set aside to let rise for 2 hours.

On a lightly floured surface, gently roll your dough out into a rectangular shape, about 14 inches by 12 inches (If it's not perfect, that is ok).

Using a large knife, cut the dough lengthwise into 12 one-inch strips.

Roll each strip into a long snake, about 18 inches long, and form snake into a pretzel as shown the photo. You can use a little water on your fingertip to "glue" the pieces down.

You can also roll the pieces into balls to make pretzel buns, short logs to make hot dog buns, or snip them and braid them. You can really play with shapes here.

Prepare a large pot of water and baking soda and bring to a simmer.

When the water is simmering, gently drop pretzels 2 at a time into the water. Simmer for about 15 seconds on each side before removing with a slotted spoon and placing on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat for all pretzels.

If you wish to add toppings, now is the time to do so!