diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/service/InternalIndexShard.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/service/InternalIndexShard.java
index 03ba4b9a49f..e72662e6e9e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/service/InternalIndexShard.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/service/InternalIndexShard.java
@@ -378,7 +378,7 @@ public class InternalIndexShard extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements I
         writeAllowed(create.origin());
         create = indexingService.preCreate(create);
         if (logger.isTraceEnabled()) {
-            logger.trace("index {}", create.docs());
+            logger.trace("index [{}][{}]{}", create.type(), create.id(), create.docs());
         }
         engine.create(create);
         create.endTime(System.nanoTime());
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ public class InternalIndexShard extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements I
         index = indexingService.preIndex(index);
         try {
             if (logger.isTraceEnabled()) {
-                logger.trace("index {}", index.docs());
+                logger.trace("index [{}][{}]{}", index.type(), index.id(), index.docs());
             }
             engine.index(index);
             index.endTime(System.nanoTime());
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/local/SimpleRecoveryLocalGatewayTests.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/local/SimpleRecoveryLocalGatewayTests.java
index 2c773eeea3f..3c30a2b9787 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/local/SimpleRecoveryLocalGatewayTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/local/SimpleRecoveryLocalGatewayTests.java
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ import org.elasticsearch.test.TestCluster.RestartCallback;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.store.MockDirectoryHelper;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
+import static org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata.IndexMetaData.SETTING_NUMBER_OF_REPLICAS;
+import static org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata.IndexMetaData.SETTING_NUMBER_OF_SHARDS;
 import static org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentFactory.jsonBuilder;
 import static org.elasticsearch.index.query.QueryBuilders.matchAllQuery;
 import static org.elasticsearch.index.query.QueryBuilders.termQuery;
@@ -111,32 +113,68 @@ public class SimpleRecoveryLocalGatewayTests extends ElasticsearchIntegrationTes
         String mapping = XContentFactory.jsonBuilder().startObject().startObject("type1")
                 .startObject("properties").startObject("field").field("type", "string").endObject().startObject("num").field("type", "integer").endObject().endObject()
                 .endObject().endObject().string();
-        assertAcked(prepareCreate("test").addMapping("type1", mapping));
+        // note: default replica settings are tied to #data nodes-1 which is 0 here. We can do with 1 in this test.
+        int numberOfShards = numberOfShards();
+        assertAcked(prepareCreate("test").setSettings(
+                SETTING_NUMBER_OF_SHARDS, numberOfShards(),
+                SETTING_NUMBER_OF_REPLICAS, randomIntBetween(0, 1)
+        ).addMapping("type1", mapping));
+
+        int value1Docs;
+        int value2Docs;
+        boolean indexToAllShards = randomBoolean();
+
+        if (indexToAllShards) {
+            // insert enough docs so all shards will have a doc
+            value1Docs = randomIntBetween(numberOfShards * 10, numberOfShards * 20);
+            value2Docs = randomIntBetween(numberOfShards * 10, numberOfShards * 20);
+
+        } else {
+            // insert a two docs, some shards will not have anything
+            value1Docs = 1;
+            value2Docs = 1;
+        }
+
+
+        for (int i = 0; i < 1 + randomInt(100); i++) {
+            for (int id = 0; id < Math.max(value1Docs, value2Docs); id++) {
+                if (id < value1Docs) {
+                    index("test", "type1", "1_" + id,
+                            jsonBuilder().startObject().field("field", "value1").startArray("num").value(14).value(179).endArray().endObject()
+                    );
+                }
+                if (id < value2Docs) {
+                    index("test", "type1", "2_" + id,
+                            jsonBuilder().startObject().field("field", "value2").startArray("num").value(14).endArray().endObject()
+                    );
+                }
+            }
 
-        for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
-            client().prepareIndex("test", "type1", "1").setSource(jsonBuilder().startObject().field("_id", "1").field("field", "value1").startArray("num").value(14).value(179).endArray().endObject()).execute().actionGet();
-            client().prepareIndex("test", "type1", "2").setSource(jsonBuilder().startObject().field("_id", "2").field("field", "value2").startArray("num").value(14).endArray().endObject()).execute().actionGet();
         }
 
         refresh();
 
-        for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
-            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(matchAllQuery()).execute().actionGet(), 2);
-            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("field", "value1")).execute().actionGet(), 1);
-            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("field", "value2")).execute().actionGet(), 1);
-            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("num", 179)).execute().actionGet(), 1);
+        for (int i = 0; i <= randomInt(10); i++) {
+            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(matchAllQuery()).get(), value1Docs + value2Docs);
+            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("field", "value1")).get(), value1Docs);
+            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("field", "value2")).get(), value2Docs);
+            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("num", 179)).get(), value1Docs);
+        }
+        if (!indexToAllShards) {
+            // we have to verify primaries are started for them to be restored
+            logger.info("Ensure all primaries have been started");
+            ensureYellow();
         }
-
         cluster().fullRestart();
 
         logger.info("Running Cluster Health (wait for the shards to startup)");
         ensureYellow();
 
-        for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
-            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(matchAllQuery()).execute().actionGet(), 2);
-            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("field", "value1")).execute().actionGet(), 1);
-            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("field", "value2")).execute().actionGet(), 1);
-            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("num", 179)).execute().actionGet(), 1);
+        for (int i = 0; i <= randomInt(10); i++) {
+            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(matchAllQuery()).get(), value1Docs + value2Docs);
+            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("field", "value1")).get(), value1Docs);
+            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("field", "value2")).get(), value2Docs);
+            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("num", 179)).get(), value1Docs);
         }
 
         cluster().fullRestart();
@@ -145,11 +183,11 @@ public class SimpleRecoveryLocalGatewayTests extends ElasticsearchIntegrationTes
         logger.info("Running Cluster Health (wait for the shards to startup)");
         ensureYellow();
 
-        for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
-            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(matchAllQuery()).execute().actionGet(), 2);
-            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("field", "value1")).execute().actionGet(), 1);
-            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("field", "value2")).execute().actionGet(), 1);
-            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("num", 179)).execute().actionGet(), 1);
+        for (int i = 0; i <= randomInt(10); i++) {
+            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(matchAllQuery()).get(), value1Docs + value2Docs);
+            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("field", "value1")).get(), value1Docs);
+            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("field", "value2")).get(), value2Docs);
+            assertHitCount(client().prepareCount().setQuery(termQuery("num", 179)).get(), value1Docs);
         }
     }