Pretzel Buns:

1. Soften the butter. Remove butter from the fridge and allow it to soften in room temp for 30-45 minutes. You’ll know when the butter is soft when you are easily able to press down your finger on it. 
2. In a measuring cup or bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar in the warm water. Add in the active dry yeast, and mix to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom. It should be frothy and bubbly at the top.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread flour, salt, and sugar. When the yeast is ready, add it to the dry ingredients. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer, and with the dough hook attachment start mixing the dough at the lowest speed. 
4. When it starts looking like a shaggy dough, add in the softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated. Then increase the speed to 2 and continue to knead for 10 minutes until you get a smooth dough.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl, transfer it to a floured surface and shape it into a smooth ball. (The dough will be a bit stickier, so add a bit of flour as you go.) Gather the ends of the dough to the middle, and pinch them together. Flip it over with the seam side down and use your hands to move it around in a circle. Tucking the dough underneath itself, pull their tops taut.
6. Place the shaped dough into a large lightly oiled bowl (or just use the same bowl). Cover with a damp cloth or plastic and set it in a warm spot. Allow it to rise for 1 – 2 hours or until doubled in size. 
7. Meanwhile, cut up parchment paper into 8 squares, about 5×5 inches, and set them aside. This will act as a vessel to transfer the donuts to the work surface and into the pot.
8. When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the gas, and transfer it to a work surface. Evenly divide the dough evenly into 8 pieces. If you are using a food scale, make sure they are equal in weight. 
9. Shape each dough into a smooth ball and place them on the parchment paper squares. Lightly flatten the tops of each dough ball with your hands. This will prevent the bun to be less domed as it bakes. 
10. Cover with a damp cloth, set it in a warm spot, and let it rise once more for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size and puffy.
11. While you wait, preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Then, fill a large pot with water and bring it up to a boil. You’ll need enough water so the dough floats and doesn’t touch the bottom. 
12. When the dough balls are ready, mix in the baking soda. Be careful, as this will cause the water to bubble vigorously. When the water settles down, place 2-3 pieces of dough  into the boiling water. With tongs, carefully remove the parchment paper squares. 
13. Boil each side for 30 seconds, and transfer to a wire rack. Repeat for the rest of the buns.
14. In a small bowl, combine the agave and non-dairy milk. Brush over the tops of the buns. Sprinkle generously with flakey salt, and carefully score the tops.
15. Bake the buns at 375° Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes. Or until the buns are a deep brown color. It should not be burnt!
16. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the buns to a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool fully before assembly.

Patties:

1. In a food processor, chop up the beets until you get smaller pieces. 
2. Then add the rolled oats and mushrooms. Blend them up together until the mushrooms are in small pieces.
3. Next, add in the onion, white rice, garlic and onion powder, nutritional yeast, paprika, burger seasoning, potato starch, tomato paste, soy sauce, liquid smoke, vegetable oil, black pepper and salt. Blend them all together until you get a smooth texture. If it feels like mixture will not hold together, add more oats and blend it up again until it does. The texture should still be wet, but slightly firm to hold together.
4. Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. 
5. Rub some oil onto your hands so that the mixture doesn’t stick too much, and take about a ⅓ cup full of the mixture and form them into patties. Make sure they fit the size of the buns. Place the formed patties onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You should have 8 patties.
6. Bake the patties for 15 minutes. After they bake, you can fry the patties you need or you can freeze the rest. 
7. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the patties. Cook the first side for about 3 minutes and flip. As the second side cooks, add the vegan cheese over top. Cover the pan to allow the cheese to melt. Remove from the pan and start assembling your burger.

Assembly:

1. Carefully cut the pretzel bun in half. On the bottom half, add your desired sauces. We used mayo, ketchup and Dijon mustard. 
2. Add on the patty with cheese, then the lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Then add the top bun and serve!