Cuisine: The Polish Palate
•
Course: Appetizers Light Meals Baking
•
Diet: Vegetarian, Comfort Food, High-Carb

Cebularz Lubelski (Traditional Polish Onion & Poppy Seed Flatbread)

A pillowy, golden flatbread crowned with sweet, buttery onions and earthy poppy seeds, powered by a traditional fresh yeast sponge.
Prep time 20m
Temp 200°C (392°F)
Cook time 35m
Rest time 1h 30m
Total 2h 25m
Yield 4
Per serving:
406 kcal
54g Carbs
10g Protein
14g Fat
By Adam Dworak

Brilliant!

You cooked this today. How did it turn out?

Maybe Later

Ingredients

Success!

Ingredients added to your shopping list.

View Shopping List Continue Browsing

Kitchen Kit

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Frying Pan
  • Baking Tray
  • Pastry Brush
  • Wire rack
A close-up of a hand spreading caramelized onion jam onto a round flatbread on parchment paper, with an onion, bowls, and baking pans on a rustic wooden table. | Cook & Keeper - Cebularz lubelski

Method

  1. Prep the topping. Finely dice the onions. Heat the vegetable oil and unsalted butter in a pan over medium heat. Tip in the onions, scatter over exactly half the salt to draw out the moisture, and sweat gently for 10-12 minutes until softened and translucent, but not coloured.
  2. Take the pan off the heat, chuck in the poppy seeds and black pepper, stir well, and leave to cool completely.
  3. Warm 125ml of the milk gently until tepid (blood temperature—not hot, or you'll slaughter the fresh yeast). Keep the remaining 10ml aside for the glaze later. Crumble the fresh yeast into a large bowl, then whisk in the warm milk, sugar, and exactly one tablespoon of your measured flour to make a sponge (rozczyn). Leave it for 15 minutes until it bubbles, froths, and smells intensely of a bakery.
  4. Add the rest of the plain flour and the remaining half of the salt to the frothy yeast sponge. Bring it together with your hands, then knead vigorously on a clean surface for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and bounces back when prodded.
  5. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave to prove in a warm spot for 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
  6. Preheat your oven to 200°C. Remember the heat-up physics: an oven needs a good 20 minutes to genuinely stabilise its core temperature, so don't rush this step.
  7. Knock back the dough to punch out the air and divide it into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a neat ball, then flatten them out on a lined baking tray into discs about 15cm wide. Leave a slightly thicker rim around the edge to hold the filling like a shallow bowl.
  8. Cover the discs loosely and let them rest for a final 15 minutes.
  9. Crack the egg, separate the yolk into a small bowl (stash the white in the fridge for another day), and beat the yolk with the reserved 10ml splash of milk.
  10. Press the centres of your dough discs down firmly one last time. Spoon the cooled onion mixture generously into the middles, spreading it evenly. Brush the exposed dough edges with the golden egg wash.
  11. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the bread is deeply golden, hollow-sounding when tapped, and the onions are slightly catching at the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before tearing into them.
Chef's Note & Storage
Room temp 2 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a warm oven for 3 minutes to revive the crust and aromas.
00:00

The Pride of Lublin

Before bagels took over the world, there was the Cebularz. Born in the Jewish bakeries of Lublin’s Old Town in the 19th century, this humble onion flatbread is a masterclass in turning peasant staples into pure gold. It’s an appetiser, a street snack, and a tear-and-share marvel all rolled into one. The magic lies in the topping: sweet, yielding onions dancing with earthy poppy seeds atop a soft, enriched dough with a gentle bite.

CHEF'S SECRET: Using fresh yeast absolutely won't break the recipe—in fact, it's the authentic Polish way to bake this and gives a vastly superior, bakery-style flavour. You simply convert the dry yeast to 20g of fresh and make a 'sponge' first to wake it up. Furthermore, never put raw onions straight onto the dough. You must sweat them gently first until translucent, then let them cool completely. If you chuck them on hot, they’ll melt the dough; if you put them on raw, they’ll burn in the oven.

❖

The Allium Alchemy

When you're dealing with a recipe this stripped back, precision is your best friend. The onions need to be coaxed, not rushed. You want them to sweat down and release their natural sugars, mingling with the oil and poppy seeds to create a jammy, savoury crown that practically melts into the dough as it bakes. Give your fresh yeast sponge the time it needs to activate properly—patience here equals a pillowy crumb and a deeply aromatic, golden crust.

Back to Cookbook

Cook’s Notes & Discussion

Be the first to leave a note on this recipe.

Leave a note or ask a question

Cebularz Lubelski (Traditional Polish Onion & Poppy Seed Flatbread) - Cook & Keeper
Cuisine:The Polish Palate
Course:Appetizers, Light Meals, Baking
Diet:Vegetarian, Comfort Food, High-Carb

Cebularz Lubelski (Traditional Polish Onion & Poppy Seed Flatbread)

By Adam Dworak

A pillowy, golden flatbread crowned with sweet, buttery onions and earthy poppy seeds, powered by a traditional fresh yeast sponge.

Prep 20m
Temp 200°C
Cook 35m
Rest 1h 30m
Total 2h 25m
Yield 4
A close-up of a hand spreading caramelized onion jam onto a round flatbread on parchment paper, with an onion, bowls, and baking pans on a rustic wooden table. | Cook & Keeper - Cebularz lubelski

Kitchen Kit

  • •Mixing Bowl
  • •Frying Pan
  • •Baking Tray
  • •Pastry Brush
  • •Wire rack
Per serving:
406 kcal
54g Carbs
10g Protein
14g Fat

Ingredients

  • 250 g Plain Flour
  • 135 ml Milk
  • 20 g Fresh Yeast
  • 5 g Caster Sugar
  • 30 g Unsalted Butter
  • 300 g Brown Onion
  • 15 g Poppy Seeds
  • 20 ml Vegetable Oil
  • 6 g Salt
  • 1 g Black Pepper
  • 1 pcs Eggs

Method

Step-by-step instructions.

Chef's Note:
Room temp 2 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a warm oven for 3 minutes to revive the crust and aromas.
  1. Prep the topping. Finely dice the onions. Heat the vegetable oil and unsalted butter in a pan over medium heat. Tip in the onions, scatter over exactly half the salt to draw out the moisture, and sweat gently for 10-12 minutes until softened and translucent, but not coloured.
  2. Take the pan off the heat, chuck in the poppy seeds and black pepper, stir well, and leave to cool completely.
  3. Warm 125ml of the milk gently until tepid (blood temperature—not hot, or you'll slaughter the fresh yeast). Keep the remaining 10ml aside for the glaze later. Crumble the fresh yeast into a large bowl, then whisk in the warm milk, sugar, and exactly one tablespoon of your measured flour to make a sponge (rozczyn). Leave it for 15 minutes until it bubbles, froths, and smells intensely of a bakery.
  4. Add the rest of the plain flour and the remaining half of the salt to the frothy yeast sponge. Bring it together with your hands, then knead vigorously on a clean surface for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and bounces back when prodded.
  5. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave to prove in a warm spot for 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
  6. Preheat your oven to 200°C. Remember the heat-up physics: an oven needs a good 20 minutes to genuinely stabilise its core temperature, so don't rush this step.
  7. Knock back the dough to punch out the air and divide it into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a neat ball, then flatten them out on a lined baking tray into discs about 15cm wide. Leave a slightly thicker rim around the edge to hold the filling like a shallow bowl.
  8. Cover the discs loosely and let them rest for a final 15 minutes.
  9. Crack the egg, separate the yolk into a small bowl (stash the white in the fridge for another day), and beat the yolk with the reserved 10ml splash of milk.
  10. Press the centres of your dough discs down firmly one last time. Spoon the cooled onion mixture generously into the middles, spreading it evenly. Brush the exposed dough edges with the golden egg wash.
  11. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the bread is deeply golden, hollow-sounding when tapped, and the onions are slightly catching at the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before tearing into them.

My Tweaks & Notes

DIGITAL PANTRY

Scan to view the high-res gallery & chef's tips.

Recipe QR

History

The Pride of Lublin

Before bagels took over the world, there was the Cebularz. Born in the Jewish bakeries of Lublin’s Old Town in the 19th century, this humble onion flatbread is a masterclass in turning peasant staples into pure gold. It’s an appetiser, a street snack, and a tear-and-share marvel all rolled into one. The magic lies in the topping: sweet, yielding onions dancing with earthy poppy seeds atop a soft, enriched dough with a gentle bite.

CHEF'S SECRET: Using fresh yeast absolutely won't break the recipe—in fact, it's the authentic Polish way to bake this and gives a vastly superior, bakery-style flavour. You simply convert the dry yeast to 20g of fresh and make a 'sponge' first to wake it up. Furthermore, never put raw onions straight onto the dough. You must sweat them gently first until translucent, then let them cool completely. If you chuck them on hot, they’ll melt the dough; if you put them on raw, they’ll burn in the oven.

❖

The Allium Alchemy

When you're dealing with a recipe this stripped back, precision is your best friend. The onions need to be coaxed, not rushed. You want them to sweat down and release their natural sugars, mingling with the oil and poppy seeds to create a jammy, savoury crown that practically melts into the dough as it bakes. Give your fresh yeast sponge the time it needs to activate properly—patience here equals a pillowy crumb and a deeply aromatic, golden crust.