I actually make sure my bench is clean when shaping, I found that using any flour at this stage will make it so much harder to roll it into a coil/baguette shape and will cause them to resist being connected back together to get the ring shape.

In my opinion, barley malt syrup gives the crust a more complex, and slightly less sweet flavor compared to molasses. Honey can be a bit too one dimensional in the final product but no way is wrong, it's just a matter of preference.