diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/search/basic/SearchWhileCreatingIndexTests.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/search/basic/SearchWhileCreatingIndexTests.java
index 02b102a6f30..343d061b4b8 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/search/basic/SearchWhileCreatingIndexTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/search/basic/SearchWhileCreatingIndexTests.java
@@ -19,74 +19,75 @@
 
 package org.elasticsearch.test.integration.search.basic;
 
-import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.cluster.state.ClusterStateResponse;
-import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.cluster.tasks.PendingClusterTasksResponse;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.cluster.health.ClusterHealthStatus;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.create.CreateIndexResponse;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.refresh.RefreshResponse;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.search.SearchResponse;
-import org.elasticsearch.cluster.service.PendingClusterTask;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.query.QueryBuilders;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.integration.AbstractSharedClusterTest;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
-import java.util.Arrays;
-
 import static org.elasticsearch.common.settings.ImmutableSettings.settingsBuilder;
+import static org.elasticsearch.test.hamcrest.ElasticsearchAssertions.assertHitCount;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.greaterThanOrEqualTo;
 
 
+/**
+ * This test basically verifies that search with a single shard active (cause we indexed to it) and other
+ * shards possibly not active at all (cause they haven't allocated) will still work.
+ */
 public class SearchWhileCreatingIndexTests extends AbstractSharedClusterTest {
 
     protected int numberOfNodes() {
         return 1;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * This test basically verifies that search with a single shard active (cause we indexed to it) and other
-     * shards possibly not active at all (cause they haven't allocated) will still work.
-     */
     @Test
-    public void searchWhileCreatingIndex() throws Throwable {
-        Thread backgroundThread;
-        final Throwable[] threadException = new Throwable[1];
-        backgroundThread = new Thread(new Runnable() {
-            @Override
-            public void run() {
-                try {
-                    for (int i = 0; i < 20; i++) {
-                        logger.info("Running iteration {}", i);
-                        prepareCreate("test").setSettings(settingsBuilder().put("index.number_of_shards", 10));
-                        client().prepareIndex("test", "type1", "id:" + i).setSource("field", "test").execute().actionGet();
-                        RefreshResponse refreshResponse = client().admin().indices().prepareRefresh("test").execute().actionGet();
-                        assertThat(refreshResponse.getSuccessfulShards(), greaterThanOrEqualTo(1)); // at least one shard should be successful when refreshing
-                        SearchResponse searchResponse = client().prepareSearch("test").setQuery(QueryBuilders.termQuery("field", "test")).execute().actionGet();
-                        assertThat("found unexpected number of hits, shard_failures (we expected to potentially non active ones!):" + Arrays.toString(searchResponse.getShardFailures()) + " id: " + i, searchResponse.getHits().totalHits(), equalTo(1l));
-                        wipeIndex("test");
-                    }
-                } catch (Throwable t) {
-                    threadException[0] = t;
-                }
-            }
-        });
-        backgroundThread.setDaemon(true);
-        backgroundThread.start();
-        backgroundThread.join(30 * 60 * 1000);
-        if (threadException[0] != null) {
-            throw threadException[0];
-        }
-        if (backgroundThread.isAlive()) {
-            logger.error("Background thread hanged. Dumping cluster info");
-            ClusterStateResponse clusterStateResponse = client().admin().cluster().prepareState().get();
-            logger.info("ClusterState: {}", clusterStateResponse.getState());
-            PendingClusterTasksResponse pendingTasks = client().admin().cluster().preparePendingClusterTasks().get();
-            logger.info("Pending tasks:");
-            for (PendingClusterTask task : pendingTasks) {
-                logger.info("Task: priority: {} source: {} Time in queue (ms): {}", task.getPriority(), task.getSource(), task.timeInQueueInMillis());
-            }
-            fail("Background thread didn't finish within 30 minutes");
-        }
-        logger.info("done");
+    public void testIndexCausesIndexCreation() throws Exception {
+        searchWhileCreatingIndex(-1, 1); // 1 replica in our default...
+    }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testNoReplicas() throws Exception {
+        searchWhileCreatingIndex(10, 0);
+    }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testOneReplica() throws Exception {
+        searchWhileCreatingIndex(10, 1);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testTwoReplicas() throws Exception {
+        searchWhileCreatingIndex(10, 2);
+    }
+
+    private void searchWhileCreatingIndex(int numberOfShards, int numberOfReplicas) throws Exception {
+        for (int i = 0; i < 20; i++) {
+            logger.info("running iteration {}", i);
+            if (numberOfShards > 0) {
+                CreateIndexResponse createIndexResponse = prepareCreate("test")
+                        .setSettings(settingsBuilder().put("index.number_of_shards", numberOfShards).put("index.number_of_replicas", numberOfReplicas)).get();
+                assertThat(createIndexResponse.isAcknowledged(), equalTo(true));
+            }
+            client().prepareIndex("test", "type1", randomAsciiOfLength(5)).setSource("field", "test").execute().actionGet();
+            RefreshResponse refreshResponse = client().admin().indices().prepareRefresh("test").execute().actionGet();
+            assertThat(refreshResponse.getSuccessfulShards(), greaterThanOrEqualTo(1)); // at least one shard should be successful when refreshing
+
+            // we want to make sure that while recovery happens, and a replica gets recovered, its properly refreshed
+            ClusterHealthStatus status = ClusterHealthStatus.RED;
+            while (status != ClusterHealthStatus.GREEN) {
+                // first, verify that search on the primary search works
+                SearchResponse searchResponse = client().prepareSearch("test").setPreference("_primary").setQuery(QueryBuilders.termQuery("field", "test")).execute().actionGet();
+                assertHitCount(searchResponse, 1);
+                // now, let it go to primary or replica, though in a randomized re-creatable manner
+                searchResponse = client().prepareSearch("test").setPreference(randomAsciiOfLength(5)).setQuery(QueryBuilders.termQuery("field", "test")).execute().actionGet();
+                assertHitCount(searchResponse, 1);
+                status = client().admin().cluster().prepareHealth("test").get().getStatus();
+                cluster().ensureAtLeastNumNodes(numberOfReplicas + 1);
+            }
+            wipeIndex("test");
+        }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file