In a small saucepan warm milk to 110 degrees. Sprinkle with yeast and let sit for 2 minutes.

Pour into a medium bowl and mix in brown sugar and 1 cup of flour. Stir in 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Stir in remaining flour and salt. The dough will be very sticky. Dump dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead, add more flour as needed. Knead until dough is smooth and slightly sticky, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and let rise about 1 hour, until doubled.

Stir together Parmesan, garlic and Italian seasoning to use later.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Deflate dough by punching it down and dump out onto lightly floured surface. Add 3 tablespoons of the garlic Parmesan mixture and continue to knead until thoroughly combined. Separate dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll and stretch each piece using both of your hands to form a long rope that's about 30 inches long.

Form into a pretzel: Hold one end of the rope in each hand and cross the two ends. Cross them again to form a twist. Lay the twisted end over the opposite side of the rope and press gently to stick.

In a shallow dish, dissolve the baking soda into the warm water. Gently and quickly dip each pretzel into the baking soda mixture. Place pretzels on a silicone or parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter. Brush pretzels with butter on both sides. Sprinkle garlic Parmesan mixture over pretzels. Serve warm.