This lovely recipe comes from the Jovial Foods Founder and author the late Carla Bartolucci. They are excellent.
1 batch of sourdough levain or you can use a yeast levain as well.
1/2 cup plus two tablespoons of warm water
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
4 cups (480 g) einkorn all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup (100g) baking soda
Coarse sea salt or rock salt, for dusting
in a medium bowl, combine the Levain, water, and maple syrup. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the wet mixture to the flour and mix with a spatula as much as you can. Add the butter And knead in the bowl with your hands until the dough holds together in a firm ball. Cover the plate and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Turn the dough once and then lightly seal the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rest for three hours.
Brush a long piece of parchment paper lightly with oil. Divide the dough in 10 pieces, then roll each piece into a tight ball. Use your hands to roll each ball into a 22 inch strip of dough that is much thicker in the center and has tapered ends. Form each strip into a long U shape. Lift up both ends and cross one over the other two times then bring the ends to the bottom of the oval and press on each side, leaving the tip up slightly. Place the shaped pretzel on the prepared parchment and repeat with the remaining dough. Cover with oil brushed plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes. It is important to catch them just before the surface of the dough has visible bubbles.
Preheat the oven to 275°F. Spread the baking soda in a 9 x 13 glass or ceramic baking dish. Bake the baking soda for one hour.
Remove the dish from the oven, then increase the heat 475°F. Line two clean baking sheets with parchment paper.
Add 6 cups of cold water to a medium bowl and 4 cups of cold water to a second bowl. Slowly whisk the baking soda into the second bowl until it dissolves. Working in batches of two or three pretzels, immerse the pretzels in the baking soda solution for two minutes, keeping them submerged, and turning after one minute. Lift up each pretzel with a spoon and dip it quickly into the clean water to remove excess baking soda arrange the pretzels on the prepared baking sheet so they are not touching and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until the pretzels are deep brown. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before serving.
sourdough levain is made by taking 2 tablespoons of Einkorn sourdough starter adding a half a cup +1 tablespoon of warm water to 1 cup of all purpose Einkorn flour which comes out to about 120 g of flour, mix it all together and cover. Allow it to sit for 6 to 10 hoursa at room temperature till it’s nice and bubbly and ready to be used as a leavener. ***
commercial pretzels are dipped into a lye bath solution before baking. Carla read a New York Times article in which if you heat baking soda for an hour it changes the pH which promotes the Maillard reaction that gives the pretzels that deeply characteristic brown color, unique texture and authentic flavor.