Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the lemon zest and the granulated sugar. Use your fingers or the back of the spoon to mix the zest into the sugar. This step is optional, but it helps the fragrance and flavor of the lemon oil to permeate the sugar and the finished bread.

Beat in lemon juice, oil, milk, sour cream, eggs, and lemon extract until thoroughly mixed. A whisk will work fine, you don’t need to use an electric mixer.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.

Prepare the blueberries by gently rinsing and drying them.

Add the blueberries to the flour mixture and toss to coat them in flour. Alternately, toss a tablespoon of the flour mixture into the blueberries and shake to coat them. This helps the blueberries to keep a more even distribution rather than sinking to the bottom of the loaf.

Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Add in the blueberries if they are still separate. Stir just until wet and dry ingredients are mostly stirred. It is fine to have some streaks of flour left in the mixture.

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle a few blueberries over the top if desired and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes in the loaf pan.

Remove loaf from the pan and allow to cool the rest of the way.

Serve warm or cooled.

Wrap and store in plastic wrap. The loaf can be stored on the counter or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.