[mass55th]

I brush butter on the top of my bread before I put it into the oven to soften the crust. I did a search, and found basically the same advice for people who use bread machines:

Remove it from the bread machine, brush some butter or margarine over the top with a pastry brush. Or you can rub a partial stick over the top, and cover over with a cloth. This makes a soft crust.

[Califreak]

I started leaving it in the pan just long enough so it cools but doesn’t get soggy, then I put it in a paper bag so it can breathe and I wrap that in plastic bag so it doesn’t dry out. It stays soft for almost a week now.

[foxfield]

Here is a good recipe for "No Knead" gread.

https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/no-knead-dutch-oven-bread-recipe-zmaz07djzgoe

[metmom]

I always buttered my bread.

What I did was very generously butter the loaf pans, then I would shape the loaf, put it in the pan, pat it down well, then flip the dough over so the buttered side was now up.

I never thought that might be why the crust came out good instead of thick and hard.