Scalding milk used in bread making was done because historically it was necessary to kill some of the bacteria present in milk before introducing the desired yeast, because the milk is then kept warm to encourage the growth of the yeast, and any undesirable micro-organisms would also grow in these conditions.
Modern pasteurized, sealed and refrigerated milk is less likely to require this treatment.
Scaling involves heating the milk until it is about to start boiling, then removing it from the heat.
Milk, rice milk and soy milk are yeast-free products
Yes a yeast infection can look like milk.
MILK SUGAR IS FERMENTABLE BY YEAST. BUT IT PREFERS SUCROSE (TABLE SUGAR). IT MOSTLY TAKES LONGER, UNLESS YOU HAVE A YEAST THAT HAS THE ENZYME SYSTEMS FOR LACTOSE (MILK SUGAR), WHICH SOME DOES.
In some cases, Yes. When making yogurt or ice cream you want to scald it (not boil it). You can tell when it is scalded by the tiny bubbles that will form around the edges.
That is scalding. Some older recipes call for it.
Yes
Milk or water will do it.
Most likely the recipe has yeast in it. Keeping the ingredients warm helps the yeast work. For other things, it would help the milk to blend with the other ingredients if there is shortening in the mix the milk is added to.
Yeast is not alkali. The only common alkali ingredients in a normal kitchen are egg whites and milk.
because it lumps easily...
Right now, I'm drinking soy milk with a tablespoon of nutritional yeast mixed in. Besides the yeast sort of separating and clumping, there doesn't seem to be any curdling, and it's delicious to boot.
Your recipe should indicate where and how to add the yeast, but yeast does not dissolve well in milk (if at all). Yeast forms into large clumps when mixed directly with milk and will take much longer to activate. I made this mistake the first time I tried to substitute milk for water when making bread. The usual way of adding yeast to such a recipe is to fully dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit). If the water is not warm enough, it won't activate the yeast and if it's too warm, it can kill the yeast. One of my colleagues proofs the yeast in the usual way (1/4 cup warm water, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp yeast), then adds the rest of the yeast to the water, mixes the dry ingredients with the milk for the recipe, then adds the water-yeast mixture to that. He claims that it works perfectly. Of course, if you use 1/4 cup of water to dissolve your yeast, subtract 1/4 cup of milk from the recipe unless otherwise indicated. And also make sure you're using the proper yeast for whatever it is you are baking.