How do you make German hard rolls less hard?

The rolls are too hard for my children so is there a way to adjust the hardness of German Brotchen rolls while still having a light crust? I baked them at 428f/220c for 18 minutes with a cup of water in the oven to steam them. Then I removed the water then baked for a further 2 minutes. I followed this recipe: https://www.foodleclub.com/crusty-german-bread-rolls-brotchen/ submitted by /u/irondumbell