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"Cebularz Lubelski: Lublin's Iconic Onion Flatbread"
Due to my family roots in Roztocze, it couldn't have been any other way. At my beloved grandma Jadzia's house, breakfast almost always meant cebularz instead of bread. Warm, fragrant, topped with golden onions and poppy seeds, it tasted best served with cottage cheese and fresh chives. That smell and flavour is still etched in my memory – simple, homely, and absolutely irreplaceable.
The Lublin cebularz has its origins in the tradition of Jewish bakers in nineteenth-century Lublin, who baked flatbreads topped with onions and poppy seeds using yeast dough. Over time, the recipe spread throughout the region, eventually becoming a symbol of Lubelszczyzna and a staple at local fairs and markets.
To be able to enjoy it more than twice a year, I searched far and wide for the most traditional recipe. Eventually, I came across. And then I stumbled upon Lubelskie.pl, the official portal of the voivodeship, which has been promoting regional products and the true flavors of eastern Poland for years. That’s where I learned that Cebularz Lubelski even has EU Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) – meaning it is officially confirmed that it doesn't taste the same anywhere else as it does here in Lubelszczyzna. Since then, cebularz has returned to my table — sometimes with poppy seeds, sometimes without, but always with that same Roztocze spirit.
🥣Dough:
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wheat flour (min. 25% gluten, falling number ≥ 220) – 1 kg
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sugar – 20 g
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margarine or butter – 30 g
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yeast – 40 g
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water – 0.5 l (500 ml)
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salt – 10 g
This is an enriched wheat dough rather than a standard bread dough because it contains extra butter (or margarine) and sugar. Once baked, it becomes soft and fluffy, with a subtle buttery flavour and a delicate yeasty aroma.
🧅Filling:
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onion – 0.3 kg (300 g)
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blue poppy – 30 g
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salt – 15 g
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vegetable oil – 10 ml (1 tablespoon)
Preparing the onions: About an hour before baking, peel and dice the onions. Sprinkle them with salt and leave them to release their juices. Drain well, then mix with the oil and poppy seeds.
The aroma is so tempting that your neighbours might come knocking!
Step by step
Step by step1️⃣ Yeast starter – dissolve the yeast in warm water with a bit of flour and sugar, and let it sit for a few minutes.
2️⃣ Kneading the dough – combine all the ingredients, knead into an elastic dough, and let it rise for about 20 minutes.
3️⃣ Shaping – divide the dough into pieces of 50–250 g (depending on whether you want mini-cebularze or classic ones).
4️⃣ Rolling – roll out into flatbreads with a diameter of 5–25 cm and a thickness of about 1 cm.
5️⃣ Adding the filling – Spread an even layer of the onion and poppy seed mixture over each flatbread..
6️⃣ Rising – leave the flatbreads in a warm place for 25–30 minutes.
7️⃣ Baking – 240–250 °C for 10–12 minutes, until they turn golden and slightly crispy on the edges.
💬 Fun fact
At the Regional Museum of Cebularz in Lublin, you'll learn that the first bakers drew inspiration from Jewish cuisine, while the onions traditionally came from the area around Włodawa, where they were prized for their sweetness and juiciness.
The source of the recipe is: