In a small bowl, gently whisk together the warm water, yeast, and maple syrup. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until a foams develops on the surface.
Meanwhile, add the flour and sea salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk. If you have the kitchenaid mixer with dough hook attachment, I recommend using that. In which case you'll want to add the flour and sea salt to the bowl of the mixer.
Add the yeast mixture and the oil to the mixer or mixing bowl. Knead the mixture in the kitchenaid* for 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic (or 10 to 12 minutes by hand). Pretzel dough is very dense—I find that I have to hold my mixer in place while it kneads so that it doesn't bounce off the counter. If the dough is too soft or loose (read: it doesn't hold its form), add more flour, ¼ cup at a time, and continue kneading until the proper texture is reached.
Transfer the dough to the well-oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Just before the dough finishes rising, add the water and baking soda to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lightly flour a clean work surface and a large baking tray.
Preheat the oven to 450F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Punch down the dough. Turn it out onto the floured surface, and slice into 5 strips***. Roll each strip into a 1-inch-thick rope. Slice each rope into 1-inch segments. Transfer the segments to the floured baking tray. If desired, use a sharp paring knife to cut shallow x's in the top of each dough ball (this adds a decorative mark while baking).
Once the baking soda water is rapidly boiling, drop in several of the dough pieces. Boil for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Then, use a slotted heat-safe spoon to scoop out the dough balls and transfer them to one of the parchment-lined baking sheets. Repeat until all of the dough balls have been parboiled.
Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the parboiled dough with a bit of grapeseed oil. Sprinkle generously with the everything bagel seasoning.
Bake for 8 to 14 minutes****, or until deep golden brown.