Hi Meryl,
I don't use a bread machine, but the bread baking principles are the
same. There are very good ways to schedule your baking to accommodate
your schedule. Why not program the bread machine so that the dough
is fully fermented when you get home Thursday evening? Then you can
shape your dough and refrigerate it overnight. The dough will proof
a little or a lot in the cold. On Friday, you can pull it out of the
fridge, let it finish proofing, if it needs it, and bake it. I
usually find that my challahs need another hour or two before they
are ready to bake. If the bread is fully proofed when you check it
Friday afternoon, you can bake it immediately, it does not need to
come to room temperature.
In the North, the winter sunset comes very early. If you don't come
home early enough, I would move everything up by a day: mix the dough
on Wednesday and bake it on Thursday. You can freeze the breads
overnight if you are worried about freshness. On Friday, let them
fully defrost on the counter and warm them in a 350 degree F oven for
10-15 minutes. I promise no one will be the wiser!
All the best,
Maggie Glezer