I think you may be right that your water-to-flour ratio might be off. The recipe I use has about a 1-2 water-flour ratio. However, in practice, I just start mixing my water in a bit at a time, until I have the right consistency - somewhat springy. In general it's somewhat less than half water.
For 1 kg of flour, I have some 2-3g dry yeast. I really should check how much exactly. I don't use any sugar in my recipe. Some oregano, at times.
What you could try, is to activate your yeast before you mix it in. Some lukewarm water, a bit of sugar, and dissolve your yeast in there. Just set it aside for a while; you'll see it growing. If it gets out of hand, put it in the fridge for a while. Although, if it does get that far out of hand, be careful, and adjust your dosage, to avoid it rising too much. (Or if you're brewing, to avoid an excess of pressure.)