In a large bowl, mix together the warm water, yeast, and malt barley syrup. Let rest for 8 to 10 minutes, until foamy.
1½ cups warm water, 2¼ tsp instant yeast, 2 tbsp barley malt syrup
Whisk in the salt and melted butter.
½ tsp Kosher salt, 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Working 1 cup at a time, use a wooden spoon to mix the flour. Keep working the flour into the wet mixture until a dough just starts to form. You may not use all 4 cups of the flour.
4 cups all-purpose flour
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough with your hands for 6 minutes, adding more flour if the dough becomes wet to the touch.
Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
Cut the dough into 12 equal portions. Roll one piece of dough into roughly a 20-inch rope. Lift the two ends of the rope up and twist them together about halfway down. Attach the two ends of the rope to the circular end of the pretzel dough (see the photos in the blog post or the video for visual reference).
Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Carefully mix in the baking soda and stir until dissolved.
½ cup baking soda, 8 cups water
Working in batches, carefully lower the pretzels into the boiling soda water and cook for no more than 25 to 30 seconds. Use a slotted spatula to remove the pretzels from the water. Briefly let the water drip off the pretzels.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place the partially cooked pretzels on baking sheets that have been lined with silicone mats or parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle the pretzels with the coarse salt.
coarse sea salt
Bake the pretzels for 15 minutes, or until deeply golden. Switch the baking sheets and turn them around after about 10 minutes of baking.
Remove from the oven and transfer the pretzels to a baking rack. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes.