To make the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the warm water, yeast, and sugar.  Let stand until foamy, approximately 10 minutes.  Add the olive oil, flour, and kosher salt to the bowl.  Attach the dough hook and mix the dough on medium-low speed until smooth and the dough starts to form a ball.  Remove dough and pat into a ball shape, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and brush the parchment paper lightly with vegetable oil.  Place the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, then cut it into 6 to 8 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a robe about 18 inches long.  I used my cutting board to measure the ropes.  With each rope positioned horizontally, bring the 2 ends up and toward the center as if forming an oval, cross one end over the other, and press each end into the bottom of the oval to create a pretzel shape.  Place the pretzels on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them evenly.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 Fahrenheit.  

Fill a large pot with 7 cups of water, stir in the baking soda, and bring to a boil over high heat.  Gently drop 2 pretzels at a time into the boiling water.  Boil for just under 1 minute, using a slotted spoon or spatula to lightly splash the boiling water on top of the pretzels.  Return the boiled pretzels to the baking sheets, top side up.  Sprinkle with the coarse salt and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets about halfway through baking time.  Serve warm.