Sour Dough question

[leighann79]

I've made my own sour dough bread a couple of times now and both times the crust ended up way too hard. The first time (made with out a loaf pan) I just about couldn't cut through it even. The second time (made in loaf pans) the top was too hard and the sides and bottom were not quite as bad.

My DD is thrilled that I'm making bread, but can't stand that the crust is so hard. Honestly, the crust is way to hard for me too.
What can I change? My recipe is very simple. Flour water and salt in addition to the starter. The first time I put in some baking soda, but not the second.

[tempestjewel]

You can rub the tops with butter when you take it out of the oven to soften it. I've also done a mixture of water and oil brushed on the top before or after baking to help.

[cristeen]

You can add a Tbs or two of oil to the dough, bake it in a pool of oil (a la focaccia), brush it with oil either before or after baking it. Or you can turn your oven down a bit or cover the loaf for part of the cooking time.