The night before making the pretzels, mix together 13 grams of ripe sourdough starter with 130 grams flour and 130 grams water. Cover and let rest overnight until bubbly, active and ready to use.

The next morning, to the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the risen levain, water, flour, salt and malt powder using a dough hook. Knead for 5 minutes. The dough will be thick and you may think you've added too much flour. Don't worry. It will soften when you add the butter.

Knead for about 5 minutes. Then add the softened butter, ½ Tablespoon at a time and knead for 5-8 minutes until completely incorporated. The dough will feel silky smooth.

Bulk Fermentation: Let dough rise for 4-5 hours at 78-80 degrees F, until puffed up and aerated. After the bulk fermentation the dough can be placed in the refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days before shaping and making the rolls.

Shaping: Dump the dough on a countertop and use a bench scraper to separate the roll dough into 16 pieces. Take each piece of dough and pull/pinch up the sides until it forms a ball. Roll the ball on the counter, holding your hand in a cupping shape (see video here) to seal the balls and create tension.

Proofing: Line two pans with parchment paper. Place eight balls of dough on each pan. Cover the dough balls with a kitchen towel and let proof in a warm (78-80+ degree) place for 3-4 hours. By the end of 3-4 hours, the dough should be puffed up, aerated and risen.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Choose which method you are going to use to dip the pretzels.

Baking Soda Method: Bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add 6 Tablespoons baking soda. Place pretzel rolls in the boiling baking soda water and boil for 60-90 seconds per pretzel. Remove pretzels from the boiling water and place on the baking sheets.

Lye Method: Put on protective goggles and rubber gloves. Lye can burn your skin or eyes. It should not be around children or pets. To a large bowl, add 5 cups of water. Add 3 Tablespoons of food grade lye (affiliate link). Stir together with a spatula. Dip each pretzel in the lye solution for 15-20 seconds per pretzel. Place pretzel rolls back on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Score each pretzel roll with a sharp knife or bread lame. Make two slashes across the top of the pretzel roll. Sprinkle with pretzel salt or my favorite flaky sea salt.

Bake immediately after the lye or baking soda bath. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Let cool completely (or mostly) before enjoying.