In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast. Stir in the water, and knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it all comes together in a smooth, soft ball.
Sprinkle some flour on the dough ball, and cover to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the water bath. Stir the baking soda into the boiling water. (Be careful when you add the baking soda, the water will bubble up for a few seconds!) Pour the water in a baking dish. Set aside to cool to lukewarm temperature.
Preheat your oven to 475°F.
Transfer the dough to a floured working surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a thin log. Twist each log into a pretzel- twist the ends twice together, fold over, and tuck the ends underneath.
Place the pretzels in the water bath, 4 pretzels at a time, and let bathe in water for one minute per side. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle the pretzels generously with sea salt. Allow to rest uncovered for 15 minutes.
Bake until the pretzels are a dark golden brown, around 10 minutes.
While the pretzels are baking: melt the 3 tablespoons of Grassland butter. When the pretzels are out of the oven, brush them generously with melted butter.
