Chewy, dark gold, and finished with plenty of coarse salt, these come from a boil-then-bake dough enriched just enough to make them tender. A splash of instant yeast alongside the discard keeps the timeline predictable even on a day when your starter isn't at its most energetic.
Stir the yeast and half the brown sugar into the 60g warm water. Let it sit 5 to 10 minutes, until foamy.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, remaining brown sugar, and salt. Add the discard, the yeast mixture, the remaining 40g water, and the melted butter. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then turn it out and knead 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and only slightly tacky.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise at room temperature about an hour, until it's grown by about half. This dough won't double the way a purely yeasted one might, and that's fine.
Turn the dough out and divide it into six pieces. Roll each into a rope about 20 inches long, then twist into a pretzel shape, pressing the ends firmly into the bottom of the loop so they hold during boiling.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and stir in the baking soda carefully, since it'll foam up. Boil each pretzel 20 to 30 seconds per side, then lift out with a slotted spoon or spider and set on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Brush each pretzel with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with pretzel salt. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until deep mahogany brown. Cool at least 10 minutes before eating, since the inside stays hot a lot longer than you'd expect.
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