bread yeast is not so good. what you need is a strong, alcohol-tolerant wine-yeast. ours has 16,5% alc-tolerance.
we get a dry mead with alc. 14.0% vol. At the dilution of 1:2 or even a bit more honey.
I try to go for a "half-dry" mead with about 15 g of "sugar" to the liter.
our yeast is really "strong". and as wine is a different matter than honey-water, you need a strong one. even one for making brandies will do. red or white or brand- yeast, difference for mead is small if even non-existent (I tried them and was told by a wine-technician).
for making a honey-"lemonade" I was thinking of boiling the mixture (well - pasteurize) and then add carbon-dioxide. I don`t see why not use a soda-stream for small quantities. It is just a matter of hygiene, not of safety, imho. No addtion of chemicals.
I dont heat the mead. it gets 50 ppm of sulfur.