Warning: this is an unorthodox way of doing a scald, but is well worth it for the tender interior.
I scald bread in my own way, surprise! First off, I fill a little pitcher with water and place it in the microwave for a couple of minutes until bubbles start coming to the top.
Now, while waiting for it to come to a boil, I weigh out salt, a bit of sweetener, some seeds laying and a bit of herbs grabbed from my window garden tossed in for good measure. “They” say you can put in up to ½ of the total amount of bread flour that is needed for the entire recipe, but usually 1/4 of the recipe amount. However, that being said, it depends on the strength of your flour.
Mix it all up, then carefully pour in the bubbling water so not to burn myself, and stir until there is no dry flour left. While it is still hot, place the remaining flour on top and then plop the starter required on top of the dry flour.
Feeling the heat of the bowl, I kept returning until it is lukewarm to the touch. Then I mix everything together and let it set for about an hour before going back to work the dough for about 8 to 10 minutes.
Then I set it in an oiled stoneware bowl, in a big Ziploc bag on a seed heating pad for a couple of hours, deflate it, repeat, form and place in pan, rise and bake.