New Year's Pretzel Danish

Ingredients
3 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 (18.25 ounce) package french vanilla cake mix
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup white sugar
White Glaze

Directions
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the cake mix and 3 cups of the flour; stir to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 10×16 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter over the rectangle; then sprinkle on brown sugar and cinnamon. Starting from one of the long sides, roll up the rectangle and form it into a pretzel shape. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan, place the pretzel-shaped dough on the pan. Cover the pretzel-shaped dough with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Then place the covered pretzel-shaped dough in the fridge overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the top of the pretzel-shaped dough with the melted butter, Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until pretzel is golden. When cooled, put a white glaze on the top, and decorate with finely cropped nuts and glazed cherries.