Combine the yeast, warm (not hot) water, sweetener, flour, and salt in a medium bowl. Knead over the bowl for 3 minutes to form a smooth ball. Coat with melted butter and cover bowl with cloth and let rise until doubled, between 1 to 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Portion the dough into 10 equal sections or more depending on how small you want the bites to be. Flatten the dough piece by piece to form a small circle then press the dough between your thumb and fingertips (like your making the ok sign). This creates tension across the surface to form a tall rounded shape. Cover and rest dough balls for 20 minutes.
Bring the water and baking soda to boil over high heat. Gently slip the rolls into the water and boil 20 seconds each side, turning with a slotted spoon. Transfer to a parchment lined sheet tray.
Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and cut a shallow line into the top of each roll using a sharp knife. Bake on the middle rack until golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days or freeze in sealed bags for up to 1 month.
Notes
What's the deal with yeast?
This recipe involves adding active dry yeast directly to the flour. Your dough should be doubled in size between 1 and 2 hours later (a sign your yeast is working).If you prefer, you may test your yeast prior to adding the flour. To do this, add the yeast to the lukewarm water with maple syrup/honey and wait 5 minutes minimum to see if the yeast forms tiny bubbles (a sign that the yeast is alive). Note that this may take up to 15 minutes. If your yeast does nothing, it is bad and needs to be replaced.
Double the Recipe to Feed a Crowd or a Big Family
Hey, these are really good. You might just want to use the built-in portion slider (at the top of this recipe card) to double this recipe. When doubling any recipe, don't double the salt. Instead, increase the salt to 1 1/2 teaspoons.
Veganize It
Instead of butter, use olive oil in this recipe. Instead of honey, use maple syrup.