Time to Make Pretzels, and That's No Lye!

I'm a huge-huge fan of yeasty, chewy pretzels, and the NYT published this recipe in May that I've been saving, with an eye toward purchasing some lye when I had some extra money.  Thanks to Harold McGee, the best kitchen chemist ever, I now have the means of making a lye-substitute without shelling out any dough.*

*Puns are a necessary part of a balanced diet.