Lye Pretzels
While digging up the sourdough waffles recipe, I found the recipe for pretzels on FCS - made with baking soda, tsk tsk tsk Jacob. I would expect such things for the likes of Alton Brown but you are the guy I go to to hear about the magic old world secrets all of today's busy bodies never want to learn about.
I am a big believer in pretzel buns as the answer to stand up to the ultimate juicy hamburger loaded in toppings, and have been making them quite a bit over the past few years. I have yet to try slow fermented pretzels, let alone sourdough ones, I but they will be fantastic.