Is there a way to make this bread recipe's crust less crunchy? This is a challah recipe I inherited:

1 cup warm water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp yeast
Knead, let rise, braid, let rise, egg wash, and bake at 375°F for an hour.

I like the flavor of this and the consistency of the bread inside. However, I don't like how hard and thick a crust it gets. I've tried leaving off the egg wash but it's still crispy and tough. (This hasn't always been a huge deal, it's just how this loaf bakes... but my daughter recently got braces, and she's finding it very difficult to eat!)
Are there tweaks I can make to ingredients, baking time, or oven temperature to get a more pliable crust?
I make the same Challah bread recipe every year, and mine says to bake at 350°f for 35 min and the crust is chewy but not crunchy or crisp.  I've never had it under baked either.