Polish Onion Rolls, cebularze, originate from Lublin. With a preparation time of 15 minutes and a cook time of 25 minutes, these rolls are rather quick to make for bread. Made with yeast, Polish onion rolls are light, and fluffy and are topped with onions. The onions give the rolls their distinctive taste.
Aside from being easy to make, the ingredients of the Polish onion rolls are cheap. Plus, they are available all year round. This makes the rolls popular at all times of the year.
Polish Onion Roll Cebularz Recipe
Part I – Knead The Dough
Mix 2 ½ cups of all purpose flour, 1 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of salt and 1 ½ tbsp of instant yeast in a large bowl. Mixing the ingredients before adding the liquids makes sure that everything is evenly distributed in the flour. Add in 1 egg, 2 tbsps of oil and ¾ cups of milk.
Knead the dough using a food processor. You can also use your hand if you don’t have a food processor.

Part II – Cover The Bowl With A Clean Cloth
Once you are done kneading the dough, place it in the center of the bowl. Note that the bowl should be large enough for the dough to double.
Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen cloth. This will prevent the dough from drying. Keep the dough in a draft-free area for an hour. The rule of thumb is that the dough needs to double in size. This usually takes an hour.
Part III – Prepare The Filling
Part IV – Peel And Finely Dice The Onions
Part V – Fry The Onions In Butter For 5 Minutes
Add a bit of butter to a pan. When the butter has melted add in the onions. Fry them for approximately 5 minutes. This will make the onions translucent to golden brown. The butter will give the onions a lovely texture and flavor.
Part VI – Season The Onions
Season the onions with salt, pepper and poppy seeds. Remove the onions off the stove and let them cool.
Part VII – Line A Baking Tray With Parchment Paper
Lining the baking tray with parchment paper keeps the rolls from sticking to the tray. It also makes the tray easier to clean after baking.
Part VIII – Divide The Dough Into 9 Pieces
Part IX – Form The Cebularze
Form the cebularze with your hands. To do this, make a ball of dough. Then flatten it. This will give it its characteristic shape.

Part X – Cover The Pan With A Kitchen Cloth
Form all the Polish onion rolls and place them on the baking tray. Cover the tray with a clean kitchen cloth and wait for 30 minutes. The rolls will rise during this interval.
Part XI – Preheat The Oven To 356°F (180°C).
Part XII – Form Dimples In The Buns
After 30 minutes, use a small glass to form dimples in the buns. This is where the filling will be placed so make sure that the dimple is deep enough.

Part XIII – Place The Filling Inside The Dimples

Part XIV – Smear Egg Brush On The Buns
Beat an egg and use a brush to coat the top of the Polish onion rolls. This will help make them shinier and will form a nice crust.
Part XV – Bake For 25 Minutes

Polish Onion Rolls Frequently Asked Questions
How Are Polish Onion Rolls Best Served?
The best way to eat Polish onion rolls is hot off the oven. They make a great mid-day snack or could even be served for breakfast or tea time. Most people enjoy the cebularz as is. You can however spread some cream cheese or jam on them too.
Another great way to serve cebularz is as an accompaniment to a soup, curry or even a goulash.
Are Polish Onion Rolls Vegan?
No. Polish onion rolls are generally not vegan because they use butter, egg, and milk in the dough. You can make them vegan by substituting the milk with plant-based milk. Butter can be replaced with olive oil. Eggs on the other hand can be replaced with aquafaba.
My Dough Has Not Risen. What Did I Do Wrong?
There are two main reasons why the dough does not rise. One is that the yeast is old. Always make sure that you check the expiry on the yeast before using it.
Another reason is because of the temperature of the surroundings. If there is a draft or the surroundings are cold, the dough will not rise. You will have to keep the dough for longer in a warm spot.
Polish Onion Roll Cebularz Recipe

Polish onion rolls are an easy and cheap snack to make at home. Plus the ingredients are available all year round!
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp of sugar
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 ½ tbsp of instant yeast
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsps of oil
- ¾ cups of milk (or plant-based milk)
Onion filling
- 4 onions
- 3 tbsps of butter or oil
- 2 tsps of poppy seed
- 1 tsp of salt
- ½ tsp of pepper
Others
- 1 egg (egg brush)
Instructions
- Knead the dough for about 5 minutes using your hands (in a bowl) or using the food processor.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen cloth and wait for about 1 hour for it to double its size.
- In the meantime, prepare the filling.
- Peel and finely dice the onions.
- Fry them with butter for about 5 minutes.
- Season with salt, pepper, and poppy seeds. Allow to cool.
- Line the baking tray with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into 9 pieces.
- Form cebularze. Do it by making a ball in your hand, then flatten it.
- Cover the pan with a kitchen cloth. Wait for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C).
- After 30 minutes, take a small glass to form dimples in the buns.
- Place the filling inside the dimples.
- Smear egg brush on the buns to make them shinier.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
Recommended Products
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- Baking Pans Non-stick - Blachy do pieczenia
- Parchment Paper Roll - Papier do pieczenia
- Whole Poppy Seed - Mak
- Yellow Conventional - Cebula
- Milk - Mleko
- All Purpose Flour
- Butter Unsalted - Masło
- Rapeseed Oil - Olej Rzepakowy
- Sunflower Oil - Olej słonecznikowy
- Instant Dry Yeast - Drożdże suszone
- Sugar - Cukier
- Iodized Table Salt - Sól
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 258Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 576mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 7g
These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix