I do baking and make confectionary, and I think it is for much the same reason that programmers also like woodworking - the fact that it is something physical that you can touch and feel (and taste, in the case of baking). Then there's the smell as well, which may be relevant for woodworking too.
I have never felt more at peace than when I took a weekend course for hand tool woodworking and spent the better part of an afternoon using hand planes to square and flatten stock in prep for the next day. The sounds and smells melted away everything else.
I appreciate baking since it's very algorithmic. It's typically a lot more precise than general cooking, and I love that about it. Just follow the steps, like my brain has been trained to do, except this time I am the runtime.
Don't talk to me about cake decorating or any of that side of things - couldn't care less and will make a mess with a piping bag.
